Blessed with a Hero's Heart
by Magnus9284
Summary: What if instead of Kazuma, the world of Konosuba gets the Number 1 cinamon roll of the hero world? Find out in this experiment of a crossover!
1. A New Chance

**Magnus:** This is just something that went through my mind and didn't want to let it go unwritten, so, it's just an experiment. Updates will be sporadic at best, and it may required input from you, the viewers.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing, if I did, Megumin would be real and Bakugo would be dead.

* * *

 **Blessed with a Hero's Heart**

 **Chapter 1**

 **A new chance**

Izuku Midoriya had lived a short life full of disappointment and despair, first by being born quirkless in a world where 80% of the population had a quirk or power, second by being denied of support from his mother when she didn't give hope to his dreams, and the most painful of all, meeting his idol, and being shot down like the worthless person he is; he had to admit that his mother didn't know at that time what to say, especially when he was a crying mess, and her gain on weight was the result of the guilt she still carried from that day… and All Might had been just real about his situation, as maybe his suggestion was not wrong about becoming a cop, but it still hurt.

"What was I thinking? There is no way someone like me could ever be a hero." Izuku muttered to himself as he reached the entrance of an alley, where a crowd had formed, and a commotion was taking place… it was a villain attack.

He had done it again, even when he said he would give up, he had walked toward a place where heroes will show up; he had done it so many times it was like a second nature, and he will always take notes to help himself become a good hero, but with what All Might had said to him, he just couldn't understand why he walked here… until he saw the villain.

"Wait… that is the same villain that… and he has Kacchan!" Izuku nearly screamed as he saw the scene, then he began to drown on guilt as he realized that this was his fault; if only he hadn't cling to All Might when he leaped with the villain in the bottle… if only he hadn't cling to his dream so stubbornly… if only he hadn't been born…

Time seemed to stop for Izuku as he caught a glimpse of Bakugo's face, how he seemed desperate, as if asking to be saved, eyes pleading for help; before he could come up with a plan, or an excuse to leave, his heart had began to work overtime, his legs moved him forward, first with two shy steps, and then a full sprint. For Izuku, it wasn't a matter of being able to do something or not, it was all about saving someone in need, not for glory, but because it was the right thing to do.

"Leave him alone!" Izuku shouted as he threw his backpack at the villain, managing to hit his eye with some of its contents; the villain wailed as the pain was too much to bear, loosening his grip in the explosive boy, and giving room for the green haired boy to try and grab his tormentor.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" Bakugo screamed in outrage at being assisted by not other than the one he called useless.

"I'm sorry, but you looked as if asking for help." Izuku meekly replied as he kept pulling the blond troublemaker, even as the villain regained control of himself, and began to wrap itself around Bakugo again.

"DETROIT SMASH!" All Might's voice resounded with the power of a thousand heroes, and was quickly followed by a blast of compressed air that dispersed the villain like it was nothing, unfortunately, this had the effect of sending Izuku flying; the last thing he saw before blacking out, was the image of fast approaching pipes in a thrash can…

Izuku blinked a few times… wondering how did he ended in this dark room; he was still wearing his school uniform, although now he had his backpack and no trace of the nauseating slug was on his body, in fact, he felt as if recently cleaned, he also noticed that he was sitting in what appeared to be a wooden chair, and the only visible object was a fancy chair in front of him, although it could also be called a modest throne.

"Where am I? What happened?" Izuku asked to no one as he tried to look beyond the darkness of the room, but couldn't see anything else; the sudden sound of footsteps caught his attention, and soon another figure appeared in the room.

"Izuku Midoriya, welcome to the afterlife." The voice belonged to a girl, her light blue hair, long to the waist and adorned with what appeared to be a loop of hair on top, matched her eyes perfectly, her body was lean but enriched with very feminine curves, and her blue blouse and mini skirt, adorned with yellow trim, only enhanced how beautiful she was… Izuku would have preferred if her skirt wasn't that high though…

"Unfortunately, you passed away just moments ago." The girl continued as she reached her chair, taking seat and crossing her legs… right in front of a now flustered Izuku; while he hadn't seen anything, he still wished that the opportunity hadn't presented itself like that.

"Your life was a short one, but in fact, you are dead." The girl continued, with a voice that sounded as if mourning him, a solemn voice reserved for a temple; Izuku didn't need to ask for proof, his mind had been going over the last few seconds he remembered, and there was no way to have survived that, now he only had to make sure of one thing.

"Just one question… is Kacchan safe?" Izuku asked with fear on his voice, afraid to hear that his tormentor and former friend had his same fate.

"Kacchan? Ah, you mean Katsuki Bakugo. He is alive." The girl answered, lifting a great weight from the green haired boy.

"Thank goodness!" Izuku said while grasping his chest, showing tears and a relieved smile, making the girl before him eyetwitch, not that he noticed.

"Although he would have been fine even if you hadn't intervened." The girl added as she seemed to take a peek at a book at her side, as if the information was written there.

"I know…" Izuku replied absentmindedly, earning a few blinks of surprise from the girl, who admittedly expected some outrage from this boy.

"There were a lot of heroes around, and one of them would have eventually helped him, or, knowing Kacchan, he would have found an opportunity to escape himself. I know I wasn't needed, but I couldn't help myself… and his eyes looked as if asking for help." Izuku explained while looking at his fidgeting hands; the girl looked annoyed at his behavior, as if being denied the chance of having fun at his expense.

"I guess my only regret is that mom is going to cry a lot, but at least she won't have to keep worrying for me…" Izuku continued, failing to see how the girl was now glaring at him.

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" The girl shouted as she couldn't tolerate him anymore; Izuku reeled back at the sudden outburst, not understanding the reason why.

"Ahem! My name is Aqua, and I'm a goddess who guides humans who die young into the afterlife." The goddess Aqua returned to her solemn voice, as if her outburst never happened, gaining the attention of the green haired boy.

"You are presented with two choices, Izuku Midoriya: You can start from square one with a new life, or you can go to heaven and carry on like an old man." Aqua explained to the attentive Izuku, who quickly began to weight his options.

"I see… going to heaven and rest surely sounds nice, and being reborn could give me the chance of become a hero again, maybe this time I'll have a quirk and…" As Izuku began to mutter, Aqua began to panic; she knew that a soul like this would immediately become an angel if going to heaven, and being reborn would net her no gain at all, so, she decided to take action to have her way.

"To tell you the truth, heaven is not the dreamy place you mortals believe it to be." Aqua quickly took a gossiping tone, breaking the muttering of the boy.

"Is it not?" Izuku innocently asked, wondering what kind of place it would be… maybe heaven needed heroes too?

"It is very boring, with no entertainment whatsoever, and you won't have a physical body, meaning that you'll never have sexual action." Aqua explained, trying to push the buttons of the boy; had Izuku been a shut in, she would have mentioned videogames and manga, but she knew better than trying that.

"What? Why would I want to have…" Izuku was flustered at the idea put on his head, but not enough to not think that this was suspicious; the idea of being the victim of a prank after his pitiful attempt at saving Bakugo began to enter his mind.

"I also have to warn you: There is no guarantee of you being reborn with a useful quirk; most of the time, souls like you just get a minimal upgrade when reborn, which in your case, it may be a lesser quirk, like changing the color of your hair, or breathing under water at best." Aqua's words struck deep and hard at poor Izuku, leaving him with only poor choices… although the idea of not being quirkless was still worth considering.

"Now, there is a third option that not many have, but before telling you what it is, I need to ask: Do you still want to be a hero?" Aqua asked now, and for the first time she saw a pure heart shining with blinding determination.

"Yes." Izuku answered without falter, sowing fierce eyes that could not match his will; Aqua smirked just slightly, knowing that the bait was taken, and maybe this time, she had the proper soul.

"There is another world, where quirks do not exist and magic is as common as a sword, a place that had enjoyed relative peace for many generations; however, a Devil King has appeared, endangering the lives of innocents and destroying the hard worked peace. Those who were strong to oppose him have decided to not be reborn there after dying at his hands or the hands of his minions, thus, the number of souls that could stand against him is in decline, leaving this world as easy prey for the Devil King." Aqua explained, enthralling the green haired boy, who already seemed interested at the possibility of helping people.

"In order to save this world, the goddesses of both worlds have decided to invite worthy souls to be reincarnated into this world, allowing them to retain both body and memories!" Aqua continued her speech, although this time Izuku had concerns.

"But, what can I do? I'm quirkless." Izuku stated the obvious, thinking that choosing someone with a strong quirk would be the best idea… then he remembered what she said earlier, about Quirks getting better after being reborn… meaning that strong quirk users would rather remain as a new generation of heroes.

"True, and that is why I'll give you a boon of your choosing; it could be anything, from an artifact of tremendous power, to a talent of unlimited potential. Think about it! You'll finally be able to become the hero you always dreamed about, and the people of this world will get the hero they need; isn't this the best deal?" Aqua continued her selling speech, not failing to notice the hope in the eyes of the green haired boy.

"What about the language barrier? I know a little bit of English, but I don't think that would help me in this new world." Izuku was quick to ask, hoping to not have to choose a multi-language quirk as his boon… although the idea of having a quick learning quirk was enticing, especially with the idea of grasping magic.

"Don't worry, with our divine and kind aid, we'll fill your brain with all the knowledge you need to head in into this new world!" Aqua cheerfully answered while showing a pamphlet to the green haired boy, it detailed the parts about the knowledge and the boon, but when he was about to read a warning label, the goddess took it away from him, covering said label with her hand in the process.

"I was reading that." Izuku gave a mild complain, unable to raise his voice against a woman.

"Now you only need to choose your boon and you'll be ready to go; choose now, and become the hero you always dreamed to be!" Aqua cheerfully said as she threw up a bunch of sheets of paper, all of them containing detailed descriptions of an artifact or a special talent, akin to a powerful quirk.

"What are you doing?!" Izuku nearly screamed as he quickly began to gather the scattered papers, how was he expected to make such crucial choice while facing such disorder?

Aqua returned to her chair and sat with the idea that this won't take long; she has done this enough times to know that those born quirkless had a tendency to select the first thing they saw as remotely powerful, be it an artifact or otherwise, that's why she didn't pay any attention to the fact that the boy had gathered all the pages she had thrown, as that couldn't prolong his choice by much… then she saw him carefully reading each page.

"A mace that only the owner can lift, it is made with the heart of a savage storm and enables…" Izuku muttered as he read one of the descriptions, listing pros and cons at a fast rate.

"Could you please choose quickly? All of that is pretty much the same." Aqua tried to speed up things, not liking being away from her fancy suite in heaven.

"I'm sorry, but I need to think this carefully, it is a life changing choice after all. Why is this named 'crown of intellect' when it only reduces mana costs for magic?" Izuku excused himself and continued his muttering, to which Aqua decided to summon a large bowl with potato chips, because this seemed to be a long session in the making.

"Turning your entire body into a steel-like material? Sounds like an amazing quirk!" Izuku seemed excited about becoming a man of steel, to which Aqua sighed in relief, because she was about to finish all the chips, and the boy had kept his muttering for far too long.

"There is no data about the magnetic properties of this material… or the fusion temperature or…" Izuku's muttering returned full force, earning a groan from the goddess, who was at her limit.

"I have more people to attend, you know?" Aqua finally pushed an issue that the boy would have to heed, it was a lie, but she didn't want to spend more time in this place.

"I'm sorry, Aqua-sama! It wasn't my intention to stop you from doing your job." Izuku was quick to apologize, making that sorry face that was able to melt away any anger.

"Just… just choose already." Aqua weakly demanded, unable to stay angry against such pure heart.

"Of course; I'll find a corner to study all of this while you tend to the others, no need to keep all your precious attention on me." Izuku proposed while starting to stand up, obviously about to wander off to find a place where he could read and mutter while not bothering her… this made Aqua snap…

"JUST PICK UP ONE!" Aqua finally screamed, unable to keep up with the nerd before her.

"I can't! There is too much to consider, and…" Izuku began to panic, not wanting to antagonize the goddess before him; yet unable to go against his instincts, for he felt that making a mistake was far too probable for his liking.

"Just ask for the most powerful thing in the bunch!" Aqua continued to push the green haired boy, cinnamon roll or not, he was too annoying for her.

"Wouldn't that be you?" Izuku asked in worry, not wanting to say something so imprecise.

"JUST DO IT!" Aqua screamed once more, just wishing for the boy to disappear.

"I'll take the most powerful thing available!" Izuku finally surrendered, unable to face the now angry goddess, just as he said those words, the pages on his hands vanished, making the goddess give a sigh of relief.

"Now stay in the magic circle and don't move, whatever you have chosen will either appear in your hands, or become a part of you." Aqua spoke again in her solemn voice, but the moment she made the circle appear at Izuku's feet, another circle appeared at hers.

"Eh? What is happening?" Aqua asked in alarm, making the boy worry at her words.

"Is something wrong?" Izuku asked full of concern; then an angel descended from above, her beautiful visage brought peace to the boy, but dread to the goddess, who looked about to cry.

"Aqua-sama, we are all moved by you selfless sacrifice; in venturing to volunteer to accompany this pure heart, you have made way for redemption and compensation." The beautiful angel spoke, greatly confusing Izuku.

"I wasn't volunteering! He was supposed to get one of the trinkets!" Aqua's words actually surprised Izuku, who didn't know what to believe anymore.

"Fear not, Aqua-sama; once you defeat the devil king, you'll return to us with a higher rank as reward. As for this pure heart, any wish he has at the end of the journey will be granted without fault." The angel spoke again, gaining Izuku's attention.

"Does that mean I can return home with whatever skills and artifacts I gain?!" Izuku's hope was that of returning to his mother, and become a hero as he intended, a dream so pure that without noticing, he was the most luminous being in the room.

"If that is your desire, so be it; now go, and bring peace and light to this troubled world." The Angel confirmed, and the light began to grow in intensity.

"No! I don't want to go there!" Aqua kept screaming and banging on the walls of the magic circle, obviously afraid of setting foot in the mortal world.

"Don't worry, Aqua-sama; with your power and a good plan, we can overcome anything, and I'll work really hard to return home, and bringing you back." Izuku's words were pure and courageous, but to Aqua they were empty, for no one has managed to accomplish the task.

Within seconds, the boy and the goddess were enveloped in light, and then transported to the other world, a world where they'll have to learn a lot of what it means to be a hero, what it means to be a friend, and what is the meaning of being human. As the light faded, the angel looked at the empty chairs, and gave a longing sigh.

"Please, oh radiant one, teach divinity to that failure of a goddess." The angel softly prayed, wanting the best for who was her superior not too long ago, and wishing for the day the boy will gain his wings, as she, and many others were waiting for him in heaven.

* * *

 **Magnus:** Izuku is going to grow different from Kazuma, so here is the first voting session: Which class should Izuku make? Ranger? Rogue/Arcane trickster? Druid? Leave a comment.


	2. First Steps

**Magnus:** At the moment of starting this chapter, the Druid had won by just a slight margin, so, we are having Druid Izuku!

 **Disclaimer:** Oddly enough, Druid was one of the concepts I had toyed with while planning this fic, so I guess it was a good thing that class won when it did.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **The first steps**

When Izuku regained his ability to see, the first thing that filled his vision was the sight of a rural town; carts with different items were being pulled by horses in the streets, people with rather simple clothing walked at the side of the road, and the houses didn't strike him as being made with modern techniques. Izuku took a deep breath to try to taste the pure air that such a place was supposed to be blessed with, but instead his nostrils caught the smell of horse excrement and dirt, with a little bit of grass mixed in… he guessed he would have to be outside the town to get the so called pure air.

"This looks peaceful; I guess we need to…" Izuku started to talk to the goddess that had come with him, expecting some guidance into this new world, and his task to bring peace to the people… then he was violently taken by the shoulders, courtesy of a hysterical blue haired girl.

"WWWWAAAAAAAHAHAAAAAAAA." Aqua loudly cried in despair, shaking the green haired boy for all she was worth; her face and voice were full of fear, and by now, Izuku could tell that people were staring at the scene they were making.

"STOP IT!" Izuku shouted as he lightly gave a karate chop to her head; it wasn't strong enough to actually hurt, but Aqua stopped and held her head in surprise, looking at the boy with big watering eyes.

"Now, keep calm and breathe; I know you didn't intend to leave your place in heaven, but it was by your wording that you had to accompany me, now, we are in this together, and together we'll find a way to complete this task, so I'll become a hero, and you'll return to your place, ok?" Izuku summarized their situation, giving a bright smile that the goddess found almost sickening, and still, she couldn't fault him.

"Ok." Aqua finally replied with a downcast glance, knowing very well that she had sent countless people into this path, and none had been able to go far from the starting point.

"Good! Now, tell me where to go first; there has to be a place where we can find clues to where to start, or somewhere to get recruited into the army or group intending to fight the Devil King, right?" Izuku elaborated, asking the goddess for directions and guidance; Aqua was beyond annoyed by the bright eyes of this boy, but she wished to be able to tell him what he wanted.

"Why should I know that?" Aqua answered, trying to not sound as upset as she was; her despair was mired with anger, as she never expected to ever set foot in this backwater world.

"Aren't you a goddess? Gods are supposed to hold infinite knowledge, or at the very least, know how the world works… I mean, you made it look like you knew everything about this world when you were telling me to jump in." Izuku explained his reasoning, and Aqua had to admit that she may have twisted the impression she was giving… not that she would admit that.

"I am a goddess! You can't expect me to know every little detail of every place in this world; this tiny city has nothing of interest at all." Aqua replied, earning a dumbfounded stare from the green haired boy.

"What you are telling me is… that you send people here without really knowing any details yourself?" Izuku asked, wanting with all his heart that the goddess before him would answer in a way befitting her station, but he was met with disappointment when she gave a simple nod with honest eyes.

"I… need to ask for directions." Izuku said while dropping his head in defeat; it wasn't long for him to find an elderly woman who looked tired for carrying a load of firewood, so, putting a cute smile on his face, he approached her to offer his help, leaving a confused goddess to follow him out of fear of getting lost.

A couple of hours later…

"See? We are now in the correct path; we'll surely find answers in the adventurer's guild." Izuku said as he and Aqua entered the large building; the inside was quite well decorated with skulls and finely crafted wood works, tables at one side confirmed the information about the establishment doubling as a tavern, and to the other, booths greeted their sight, meaning that the busty lady behind the counter would surely hold answers to their many questions.

"Did you really have to help all that people? We could have been here ages ago if you had asked just a quarter of them." Aqua was quick to complain, sure, he got the proper directions, a few pieces of bread, and even a couple of coins in return, but the goddess wasn't kin on doing that many chores for so little return… the fact that she had done nothing but following the green haired boy around without helping never registered on her brain though.

"Well, they needed help." Izuku's simple answer left the goddess seething, unable to cope with the gallant disposition from such a simpleton; Izuku had felt at home in this world, everyone he had met was quirkless just like him, and everyone looked at him like he was just an average villager, and not a waste of space, it was so refreshing that he was left with an odd feeling of confidence.

"Now let's go to the counter, we need to be registered adventurers if we want to gather a party to defeat the Devil King." Izuku added as he began to walk toward the beautiful lady at the counter; Aqua looked at the boy like he was completely different from the meek and useless kid she tricked into coming to this world.

"Hey, Izuku, remember to call me Aqua, and not refer to me as a goddess; I can't let my worshipers know I'm here walking among mortals. Also, why are you acting so dependable? Weren't you just a quirkless coward?" Aqua finally said the things that were bothering her, not missing the chance to taunt the boy, really wanting him to show flaws on his behavior.

"I was a quirkless teenager in a world full of people with great powers; it's not much about being a coward than being cautious. As for being dependable… my mother had some old videogames still installed in the PC I used as a child… RPGs I believe they were called; this whole situation reminded me of them." Izuku answered as they approached the desk, where a blonde woman with a beautiful figure greeted them.

"Hello; I don't believe I've seen you before. Are you here to register?" The young woman addressed the young boy and his friend, already feeling pity for the plain looking teenager with the pretty girl at his side, knowing that it won't be long before a more handsome and experienced adventurer would catch the eye of the blue haired girl.

"We just arrived into town, so, we'd like to get information on the guild and the jobs available." Izuku asked in a rather fluid way, surprising the goddess, who expected him to stutter incomprehensibly while turning red at the sight of the dangling breasts before him.

"Of course; at this hall we offer jobs to the registered adventurers, ranging from simple gathering tasks to monster exterminations, all of these are properly ranked in difficulty, danger and reward. Some of the jobs, or quests, have requisites, which can range from level and class, to party composition or gender… we don't take the last type of restriction unless the client has come forward with EVERY detail and explanation, so you don't have to worry … too much. Registering is quite simple, as you only need to cover an entry fee and this magical artifact will do the registration." The guild lady explained with a smile, glad to see the boy before her keeping his eyes on her face for once, and wondering how much he'll last.

"Aqua did you bring any money?" Izuku asked to the blue haired girl, making the guild lady wonder what kind of relationship they had; Izuku couldn't even feel surprised when she shook her head no, he even wondered if he was meant to be sent with any kind of wealth, but then he guessed that comparing this world to a videogame was foolish to begin with, the fact that a guild existed was fortunate enough.

"I see. Excuse me miss… Luna, but can you direct me to a pawn shop or a place where I can sell some minor artifacts and trinkets?" Izuku asked after letting out a heavy sigh, he really didn't want to say it, but the goddess was proving to be less useful with each minute passing; on the other side of the counter, the beautiful lady looked thoroughly surprised.

"I know such places, but how did you know my name?" The now identified Luna asked, as she was sure she has yet to tell her name to the newcomers.

"It is in the plate…" Izuku answered while pointing to the name plate on the counter.

"I know, but most people look… I mean… What kind of artifacts do you have? I may be able to point you in the right direction if I know you have something that will interest the owners." Luna changed the conversation as fast as she could, guessing that she was dealing with a scholar in training, or a failed one, as the clothes looked plain but of high quality, and he was carrying a fancy backpack, signs of a sheltered education.

"Well, for starters… I have this, is called a calculator, and it is useful for fast mathematical problem solving; it will work as long as there is natural light, and will probably work for another year… it is brittle though, and water will ruin its internal workings." Izuku said as he took from his backpack a solar calculator, it was a simple model, but he guessed it would be considered magical in a medieval world… he didn't get his hopes high though, guessing that at best he would get a few more coins, just enough to cover the fee.

"Fast mathematics? For real? Do you know how it works?" Luna seemed very interested in the artifact, and Izuku was quick to explain its operation, thanking god for the numbers being the same universal symbols.

Aqua watched from the sidelines how the busty lady seemed too attentive of Izuku's explanation, and how her eyes let out how greedy she was at seeing how effective the school trinket was; it wasn't long before she and the boy began to set a price for the calculator, nor much longer for both parties to agree in the final transaction. Aqua was unsure about the events unfolding before her, for it was as if the boy had transformed from the shivering wimpy coward into a functional human being, it was as if the fact that he was among quirkless people had given him the courage to face all the challenges that this world was throwing at him.

"This is my final offer: The registration fee for the both of you, one thousand Eris and four meal tickets." Luna said as she crossed her arms below her breasts, trying to use her natural charms to win this battle, grinning as she finally got the boy to blush.

"I… a-ag… make it five tickets!" Izuku barely managed to look up again, regaining a little bit of dignity in the process, making Luna pout a little bit.

"Fine, it's a deal; but you need to write down the meanings of the runes." Luna relented, knowing very well that she actually got quite the bargain, for this wasn't the first time she saw this artifact, and remembering quite well how successful the man with it became.

"Sure, just give me something to write on." Izuku accepted her terms, and was quickly given some parchment and a quill, leaving him to write the instructions while Luna redacted the contract, as she didn't want this to become illegal trafficking of magical artifacts.

Aqua was beginning to feel bored, wondering why this boy wasn't praising her already, or letting her shine a little bit; she was pretty sure that if she talked to some priest in the vicinity she could probably get a small fortune by simply asking for a few coins, after all, she is an important goddess!

"There we go; now, you only need to place your hand over the orb, and the artifact will do the rest." Luna instructed Izuku as the transaction finished.

"Just like this?" Izuku asked as he did as instructed, and then watched in awe as the artifact did its work, writing on the card with laser like lights at great speed; once the light show finished, Luna took the card to read it aloud, gaining the attention of the boy, who didn't know what to expect… he wished to hear hero, but he guessed that was a hard earned title, and not a job class.

"Izuku Midoriya, right? Let's see… average in most of the stats, you have an above average luck, but that is unimportant to adventurers… this is odd, you have high intelligence and wisdom, a very rare combination… hmm…" Luna trailed off while looking at the profile of the boy, wondering why it said nothing of his scholar upbringing, but she chalked it to being schooled outside of a proper academy.

"Is something wrong?" Izuku asked after he noticed that the lady was spacing out, making her panic a little bit.

"No! Nothing; just looking at your class options. You can choose from these: Cleric, Wizard, Rogue, Druid and of course, Adventurer, but that's the weakest class; unfortunately, your physical attributes do not allow you access to the martial classes, at least not now." Luna concluded, and then turned to look at the green haired boy, waiting for his decision; Izuku felt a little bit like when he was told that he was quirkless, unable to choose something that could place him closer to his idol, but then again, he guessed it was his fault for not taking upon himself to train his body.

"Druid? What does…" Izuku began to ask, wanting to hear descriptions and specifications of each class, starting for the first that he knew nothing about, unfortunately, Luna was distracted too…

"Druid it is… that is a rare class to choose." Luna said while selecting the class, oblivious to the fact that she had made a mistake.

"WAIT! I just wanted to hear an explanation!" Izuku shouted in distress, for he had wanted to analyze each and every class, and weight pros and cons against each other, not to be thrown into one by random chance.

"What?! Oh no! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" Luna apologized while repeatedly bowing, giving quite the show with her large breasts.

"I… well… p-p-please d-don't d-do t-th-that!" Izuku had turned red at the sight, and was actively trying to look anywhere but at her chest.

One hour later…

Izuku was sitting down in one of the empty tables of the guild, a commotion had started when Aqua had her card made, because her attributes, with the exception of luck and intelligence, were maxed, giving her access to most of the advanced classes, to which she picked Arch Priest, he guessed that a goddess would choose something to praise herself, and now, she was making a lot of noise while selecting her skill set with her starting skill points; Izuku was told that should he feel like that, he could always change classes instead of advancing into the natural upgrade of the Druid class, so, he decided to study his card to see what he could do with what he have.

"Well, it couldn't be as bad as being quirkless." Izuku muttered as he began to browse his adventurer card, taking notice of his data, and how neatly everything looked; the skill section allowed him to see that some skills were passive, and others required activation, which in most cases required mana to use them, while a few ones had a timer, meaning that he could use them free of cost, but only a limited number of times per day, he also noticed that druids had a lot of skills to choose from, meaning that he could take a lot of them, or, choose just a few ones and improve them by adding more skill points.

"I guess I should try something simple, Good Berry sounds safe enough." Izuku muttered as he looked at the description of the skill, a passive that had him grow berries in any plant he was touching, producing one every few minutes; the moment he selected the skill, he felt something changing within him, it was as if some dormant power had awakened… almost like a quirk.

Izuku walked to an empty table where someone was eating grapes a minute ago, and took the now empty branch from the plate, taking it to his own table, and then stared at it, quite intently; he didn't give any order, nor he concentrated in any form, the skill had said that it was a passive effect, so it had to come naturally, then, after a minute had passed, Izuku blinked in surprise, because a cute round and red berry appeared where a grape used to be.

"I think I can make this work." Izuku said with a smile as he plucked the berry, and eat it, finding it really sweet and oddly filling; the description said that it would be nourishing, but Izuku was more interested in its healing capabilities, it may never come close to a healing spell from a priest, or a commercial healing potion from the guild, but it was free, and quite constant.

As Izuku began to read the rest of the skills, he began to toy with the idea of creating a skill set that would mirror a transformation type quirk, something that would be easier to control, and easier to explain in the case he manages to return home; the druid skill set included pretty much everything, buffs and debuffs, offensive skills, defensive skills, healing skills, and of course, the incredible capability of changing forms. Izuku tried to find a pattern that would set him in a quirk-like development, and upon watching more berries growing in the little branch, he decided to give it a try at being one with the trees, after all, he guessed that it that didn't help, he could change classes later on.

"Then… Bark Skin, Vine Whip and Plant manipulation, passive defensive, active offensive and active support; this may just work." Izuku muttered once more as he spent the last of his starting skill points, after all, he was a lowly level one, unlike Aqua, who even had a couple of levels as a bonus… it was obvious that not everyone was created equal, but this time, Izuku wasn't going to let that truth stop him.

Later that night…

Truth was a harsh mistress, that's what Izuku was just reminded today; adventurers were glorified part time workers, with chores for the fresh starting ones like him, to poor paid extermination requests for the less fresh low level adventurers, and while he knew that getting started wasn't going to be a glorious leap into fame and wealth, he had expected to be able to afford a room to sleep the night, and not the stables…

"This is going to be harder than I thought…" Izuku muttered to himself as he turned into the hay stack he was using as a bed, noticing that his class actually gave him an increased tolerance to harsh conditions, meaning less cold and greater comfort in less than amicable conditions, like the wilderness, unfortunately for him, that didn't extend to having horse excrement so close when trying to sleep.

"… much harder." Izuku finished his muttering as he turned away from the excrement just to see his companion, the so called goddess that was now loudly snoring, hugging the object of his anger; a little after finishing with his adventurer's card, Izuku took his first job, gathering medicinal herbs at the edge of the woods just outside the city, it had been a fairly easy job to do, with no more danger than facing a few mosquitoes and the occasional ant line, but the reward had been a meager five hundred Eris, of course Aqua had asked for the money to purchase something that was vital for the team, and Izuku was naïve enough to believe her… imagine his surprise when she appeared with a bottle of liquor and a sheepish smile.

"At least I won't starve." Izuku muttered as he looked at the braided branch adorning his left wrist, already showing more berries, which he was quick to eat; he was beginning to appreciate the survival potential of his class, and the potential savings he will make on the food department, he still needed shelter though, so, he decided to have that as a short term goal, for defeating the Devil King will have to wait.

"Tomorrow I'll take an extermination quest, and this time, no more shared reward." Izuku muttered with a frown, he had been more than willing to share his money with the goddess, but after today, he was sure that she didn't really care about saving for the future.

The night continued its course as Izuku began to plan his future, knowing that being level one meant that he wasn't assaulting the Devil King's castle anytime soon, so, he needed to secure shelter and food, then he will make sure to train hard and level up fast and efficiently, along that, he would need to gather comrades in arms and gather better equipment; Izuku barely remembered the videogames that his mother had in the PC, but he still knew that in such medieval setting, there had to be strong warriors, wise mages and cunning rogues, meaning that to assault the Devil King's castle, he will need several front line fighters, ranged units, and of course healing support, that's why he felt fortunate by having Aqua by his side, as she was a supposedly powerful healer, and she also had her godly gear with her, so there was no need to spend money or time in getting a better staff for her to help everyone… right?

The next day…

According to the guild standards, Izuku and Aqua had the minimum required level to take this quest, the only quest available for their level, exterminating giant toads; giant toads were considered a local pest problem that was only relevant during mating season, because the giant amphibians would swallow cattle and defenseless people whole in order to gather strength to reproduce, that helped Izuku with the pity he would feel by slaying any animal that was just following its instincts without malice, the problem was, that these giant toads were… giant.

"AQUA! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO HELP ME!" Izuku shouted to the laughing goddess, who was one step shy of falling to the ground due to her incontrollable laughter; the plan had been simple enough, take one toad at a time, flank it from two sides, and then kill it with either the goddess' superior strength, or Izuku's vines, whoever didn't had its attention… the problem was that aqua didn't stick to the plan.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You look so stupid rolling away from every little attack! And you can't even scratch that thing with your wimpy twigs! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Aqua continued her laughter as she watched Izuku struggling against what the guild called a pest problem; Izuku had to find the hard way that his vine whip skill didn't do the entire attack as the name suggested, instead, it produced a vine that served as a whip, and he was expected to use it with his own skill, thankfully, producing the whip seemed to grant him proficiency on its use, but the lack of experience was showing with his badly aimed hits, and the lack of visible damage in the slimy skin of the toad.

"JUST HELP ME ALREADY!" Izuku shouted again, feeling angry at the disposition of this goddess, and feeling cheated for having his expectative of her potential being so thoroughly crushed.

"Fine, I'll help; but first, start adding sama at the end of my name, this may not be Japan, but you know that you need to be respectful to me, then you must swear that you'll join the Axis religious order and pray three times a day to me, and during lunch, if I say gimme, you must give me your food…" Aqua began her list of demands while Izuku disengaged from the monster, not knowing that she had gained its attention; Izuku tried to regain the attention of the toad, or warn Aqua, but he was too late, by the time he was at an appropriate distance, the toad had chomped Aqua, and raised her to began swallowing her.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Izuku shouted as he leaped at the toad, generating a second whip on his off hand, and using plant manipulation to aim the whips to stab the eyes of the creature; the toad did thrash around at the pain of losing its eyes, but it refused to let the girl go, so, Izuku continued to guide the vines deeper, until they reached the brain of the toad, and turned it into mush, killing the creature in the process, and freeing the now slime covered Aqua.

"Aqua, are you alright?" Izuku asked as he reached her, retracting the vines by coiling them on his forearms, he had to admit that once combined, the druid skills were quite useful, if weak as of now.

"Thank you, Izuku-sma! Thank you!" Aqua began to say between sobs, trying her very best to hug Izuku like he was some kind of security blanket; Izuku would admit that being hugged by such a pretty girl was like a dream come true, but the gross feeling of the slime that she was covered in, coupled with the penetrating smell it carried, made him wish she was a mile away.

"C-Calm down, Aqua! Remember your station!" Izuku said in hopes of her stopping her show of gratefulness, succeeding in doing so when she separated from him, still sobbing at her deplorable state.

"That didn't go as planned, so, why don't we return to the city to get you cleaned? We need to rework our strategy, and see if we can find another party member; I was able to take down this one, but there is no telling if I can succeed if more shows up at the same time." Izuku stated, bringing reason up front, and secretly hopping to find someone more trustworthy than this mediocre goddess.

"No." Aqua suddenly said, shaking like a leaf, balling her fists in a cute comedy of anger.

"What?" Izuku was taken by surprise with the sudden shift.

"I cannot go back like this! If my beloved worshipers were to see me like this, they will lose their faith, so I can't retreat just like this!" Aqua suddenly shouted, and then turned around to look for another toad, which she found quite easily in the distance; Izuku watched as the goddess ran toward her target with her fist at the ready, and as she began to describe her attack in lengthy detail, Izuku could tell that a massive amount of energy was gathering in her fist, then, she launched her attack.

"GOD BLOW!" Aqua shouted for all she was worth, hitting the frog right in the belly… doing nothing at all, much to Izuku's surprise, and her embarrassment.

"You know, now that I see you up close, I think toads are kind of cute…" Aqua said in a small voice, almost as if trying to appeal to the creature for mercy, just to be chomped upon like the last time.

As Izuku ran to save the goddess yet again, he began to wonder where her worth was, and when he will see her divine help in action; he had to admit that he liked feeling like a quirk user, but he was still doing baby steps in what felt like the world's stage, he just hopped that some efficient and skilled party members could join soon, so he can focus on leveling and training to be a hero.

* * *

 **Magnus:** While I don't have a clear intention on starting a romance, I may be inclined in the future, although I can only think in Megumin at the moment, as I don't see Izuku indulging Darkness' proclivities, and Aqua is off the table, because I don't like her (Not for Izuku).


	3. Magical PTSD

**Magnus:** Here is the last chapter of this year... can you believe I forgot to post this when I updated my other story?

 **Disclaimer:** Thanks for reading this far, but, do you all realize that this is just an experimental story, right?

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **Magical PTSD**

Izuku stared at the self-proclaimed goddess, his eyes denoting how incredulous he was, how he didn't want to believe what she did, and how much he was doubting her capabilities; when they decided to post a request for party members, Aqua demanded to be allowed to write it, calling on her superior knowledge about the world, this proved to be a truly bad idea…

"Really? Advanced job classes only?" Izuku asked in obvious concern, for her requisites were beyond stupid.

"H-hey! I have the most powerful advanced class, and I don't want to be surrounded by weaklings! Besides, we need strong party members to take on the Devil King?" Aqua tried to defend her standing, but lost strength under the heavily inquisitive stare of the green haired druid.

"First of all, there is no such a thing as a most powerful class; otherwise I would take you directly to the Devil King so you can do all the work. Second, we aren't even level five; what kind of powerful warrior would want to join our party if we can't even offer proper cooperation?" Izuku began to counter the argument presented by the blue haired Arch Priest, not even bothering to be cordial to her out of desperation.

"I… well… I'm an Arch priest! Anyone would kill to have me in their party!" Aqua tried once more, just to falter at the deadpan look that Izuku was throwing at her.

"You posted the request early in the morning, and now is almost noon… I don't see anyone approaching us to join our party, or to ask you to join someone else's." Izuku replied, and then ate one of his berries, as if to make it obvious that he couldn't take her seriously anymore.

As Izuku and Aqua were still discussing the contents of the request, someone began to approach their table; she was a girl short in height, dressed in a short vibrant red dress that looked more like a tunic long enough to double as skirt, red soft leather boots and a red pointy hat with a wide brim… a witch hat if you will, over her shoulders, a black cape with yellow trim flowed, giving her an air mystery and importance, only one red eye was showing on her face, as the other was covered by an eye patch with a cross symbol adorning it.

"I happened to notice your recruitment poster." The voice of a young girl caught the attention of the par, making them turn to look at what seemed to be a magic caster.

"That we would meet is a fate chosen by the world itself. I have anxiously awaited the arrival of those such as yourselves." The girl with the eye patch said, starting like a serious adventurer, but losing all credibility when Izuku noticed her posing… he was sure that the eye pose belonged to an anime, but he couldn't remember which one; the girl suddenly did an over dramatic cape flip, changing her pose to look either imposing or sexy, but only earning a cute score on Izuku's eyes, as he had to admit that posing was somewhat important for heroes.

"My name is Megumin! My calling is that of an Arch Wizard, one who controls explosion magic, the strongest of all offensive magic!" Megumin presented herself as dramatic as it was possible, posing the entire time like a hero after a successful operation; Izuku would have loved the sight due to nostalgia, but the word explosion had him feeling shivers down his spine.

There was a moment of silence as both Izuku and Aqua were at a loss; the goddess was biting her lip to prevent her laughter to come out, trying to at least have one recruit today to show Izuku he was wrong, Izuku was trying to suppress all the memories of being bullied by another explosive person…

"Do you, too, desire my forbidden strength, which is so almighty, I've been ostracized by the entire world?" Megumin continued her speech, either oblivious to what the pair was thinking, or believing she was dazzling them with her presentation; Izuku however, had a bad feeling about this, especially at the ostracized part…

"Then show me thine resolve to peer into the ultimate abyss with me! When man stares into the abyss, the abyss stares back." Megumin finished her speech, obviously satisfied and proud of herself; Izuku knew at that moment that he was dealing with a Chunnibyo, which gave him a little hope of not dealing with another Kacchan.

"So… are you telling us you want to join our party?" Izuku finally asked, confused at the length of the speech, and wondering why someone with an advanced job class would want to team up with them.

"Yes! I mean! You should be the ones begging me to join your party!" Megumin finally broke character, sounding as childish as she looked, earning a cute smile from the green haired boy.

"That red eye… Are you a Crimson Demon?" Aqua suddenly asked, pointing to the odd color of her eye, thing that Izuku had chalked to genetics.

"Indeed! I am Megumin, user of the finest magic Crimson Demons possesses!" Megumin returned to her character as she posed again, obviously proud of her heritage.

"My lethal magic demolished mountains. Smashes boulders…" Megumin continued her obvious selling speech, but then Izuku noticed that her body had begun to wobble, and her legs began the shake.

Megumin had begun to collapse before she could finish her speech, dropping down like she had lost all her strength; Izuku reacted fast, catching her lithe body before it could hit the ground, quickly cradling her like she was some sort of princess… much to Aqua's annoyance.

"Hey! What happened? Are you hurt?" Izuku was quick to ask in worry, stranger or not, she was someone in need of help, a concept that kept getting on Aqua's nerves; the girl, or more likely, her stomach, produced a really loud grumbling noise, shedding some light about her condition.

"I haven't eaten anything in three days." Megumin replied between heavy breaths; Izuku could tell that she wasn't lying, because she was way too light for someone her size.

"Do you have anything I could eat?" Megumin's question was met with a heartwarming smile from the green haired boy, who was more than ready to use one of his meal tickets to help her… there was a small problem though.

"I'll gladly invite you to eat, but you've been starving for three days; if I give you something solid right now, you'll only get sick, so… here, take some of these first." Izuku replied while showing his bracelet full of juicy good berries; Megumin was quick to hug his arm and chomp into the berries like her life depended on it, surprising the boy with the physical contact, and earning some giggles from the goddess, who most likely will use this as teasing material.

It took about ten minutes for Izuku to get rid of the little girl, and by then she had gobbled up five berries, looking better than minutes ago, but not full yet; getting her to sit at their table wasn't hard though, as after being fed she was more cooperative, and willing to speak normally… well, as normal as it gets in this world.

"So… about your eye; why don't you ask Aqua to heal it? She is very powerful at healing, so it shouldn't be a problem for her to restore it." Izuku asked as he dodged the little girl, who tried to reach for another sweet berry; Aqua so wanted to say she was very powerful at more things, but was afraid of the boy remembering the embarrassing toad hunt.

"My eye? Oh, right." Megumin seemed confused at first, but quickly stood up again, obviously entering in character once more.

"This is the magic item that suppresses my mighty magical powers. If I were to ever take it off a great catastrophe would surely befall this world…" Megumin explained in an over dramatic fashion; while Izuku knew he was dealing with a chunnibyo, he also knew that magic was a reality on this world, meaning that the girl could be saying the truth.

"So, your powers need to be sealed? I don't know if we can deal with something that dangerous…" Izuku muttered, thinking on finding a way to make a better seal or restrain method to help the little girl; Megumin took the muttering as a sign of rejection, so she decided to act quickly… for the berries.

"Well, that was a lie; I just wear it for looks." Megumin confessed in a rather apologetic voice, earning a face palm from the boy, but not shouting or rejection.

"You know… Crimson Demons are born with high intelligence, and possess magical powers. Generally they make great magicians. And all have weird names." Aqua supplied, talking about the last bit as if making fun of such racial trait, earning a glare from the short girl.

"Weird? I don't think her name is weird." Izuku was quick to stop the fun for the goddess, knowing that it was improper to call a name weird just because it doesn't sound like a local one; Megumin was quick to throw a smile his way, feeling relief at finding someone who wasn't making fun of her name.

"Yeah! Just think how it feels for me; I mean, for my perspective, everyone here has weird names." Megumin added, making sure to make it sound like a general observation, and not like an insult for her soon to be party members.

"So, what are your parents' names?" Aqua asked as a clear retaliation, knowing that at least one of them will change the mind of the green haired druid.

"My mother is Yuiyui, and my father is Hyoizaburo!" Megumin answered, seemingly proud of her parents' names, but earning a snort from the blue haired Arch Priest.

"Aqua, don't be mean to foreign cultures… is not like your name is any better, calling yourself water…" Izuku, fed up by how rude the goddess was, decided to take sides with the newcomer, something that obviously angered the goddess.

"Anyway, my name is Izuku, and I'll be happy if you join our party; we have a pending quest to complete, and that will serve to dispel any doubts we have about each other." Izuku finally welcomed the little girl into their team, making her smile in true happiness… until her stomach growled again… regardless of the rather large amount of good berries she had eaten already.

"After lunch, of course…" Izuku added, making Megumin shed tears of gratefulness.

Two hours later…

Izuku and the two girls were now standing at a small hill outside of town, bordering the nearby forest; the plan was simple, search for an isolated giant toad, and then tests team cohesion or Megumin's magic, according to the threat level… Megumin had no trouble seeing this druid as a scholar, for he was first a thinker, and then a fighter.

"There is one upon that hill!" Aqua was quick to point, eager to get revenge on the amphibians, and wishing to get some quick cash… she was still sore for Izuku no longer sharing the reward money of the quests.

"It hasn't seen us yet; hold your positions. Megumin, what do you think?" Izuku asked in a moderately low voice, wanting to minimize the risk of being spotted by their target.

"The distance is perfect; I can safely make it explode. I would need you two to remain vigilant though; explosion magic is extremely powerful, however, such power requires time to gather and cast." Megumin answered, explaining the steps to ensure a proper casting.

"Understood. Aqua and I will keep you safe until you are ready." Izuku answered without hesitation, something that Megumin really appreciated; Izuku was quick to appreciate the speed of his job class, as passive abilities were always active, and most of his activated skills required almost no time… being a sitting duck would make him really nervous.

"Izuku! There is another one over there!" Aqua screamed at her finding, making Izuku and Megumin wince at her loud voice; thankfully, the first frog had yet to notice them, but the new arrival was already heading their way.

"Two at the same time… Megumin, do you think you can still fire at the unmoving one?" Izuku quickly asked, knowing that he could take on one as long as the other was not focusing on him.

"It is a safe distance, so yes; just finish that one off quickly so you don't miss my glorious power." Megumin declared with confidence, already gathering the required mana to cast her beloved spell.

"Right. Aqua, this time we have to… AQUA!" Izuku couldn't help but to shout after seeing the goddess charging against the giant toad.

Izuku gave a last glance at the still unaware toad before running after Aqua, knowing very well how this was going to play, knowing that he had to be quick to save the goddess if he wanted to return to protect the Crimson Demon that was now his comrade; Aqua was using her staff to call upon her divine magic, pouring her heart in getting revenge for the humiliation of the previous day, her staff then glowed with power, and she aimed dead center the toad's belly.

"GOD REQUIEM!" Aqua shouted the name of her attack as she delivered it… just to be chomped upon by the toad.

Izuku had to repeat the same move he used the day prior, using his vines to destroy the eyes and seek the brain of the monster; he did this faster, easier than before, and he didn't know if that was a good thing.

"Are you alright?" Izuku asked as he helped Aqua stand up; it was then that they felt the change in the wind, and the obscene amount of power gathering in a single place, taking a glance at Megumin, Izuku decided to run to her position, not knowing how long the toad will remain oblivious to this change.

"Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark, I beseech thee, combine with my deep crimson." Megumin began to intone as Izuku managed to see the large amount of mana converging around her, spiraling and forming a small tornado.

"The time of awakening cometh. Justice, fallen upon the infallible boundary, appear now as an intangible distortion!" Megumin continued her chant as the wind shifted, centering the swirling mana on the giant toad in the distance that by now looked intimidated, and unwilling to move.

"Dance, dance, dance!" Megumin's voice began to pick even more intensity, just as the torrent of mana surrounding the now fear-frozen toad; Izuku had almost reached her by now, and still, he couldn't help his mind telling him to run the opposite way.

"I desire for my torrent of power a destructive force: A destructive force without equal!" Megumin reached a crescendo as the torrent of mana turned chaotic, making Izuku stop on his tracks at the sight of the obvious danger.

"Return all creation to cinders, and come from the abyss!" Megumin's words seemed to trigger the mana to start reacting, for Izuku could see flashes here and there, something that looked truly unstable.

"This is the mightiest means of attack known to man, the ultimate attack magic! EXPLOSION!" Megumin shouted as she fired a triggering explosion from her staff; Izuku watched how the relatively small explosion made flashes of light appear everywhere within the mana vortex, gaining intensity and speed with each second, and then, they all collided at the same time toward the toad.

The resulting chain reaction created a continuous explosion that created shockwaves strong enough to make Izuku's bones vibrate, the heat was intense to the point of making him feel as if about to be burned and the light emanated was blindingly strong; Izuku felt as if Kacchan was bulling him again with full force… but there was no Kacchan… and the explosion happened too far away…

"Is… is this… what magic can do?" Izuku asked to no one as he took a look at the crater left behind by the explosion; there was nothing left, no trace of the toad, not even trace of the ground where the toad once stood… only a smoking crater with carbonized stones.

Izuku was horrified at the sight… it was too much power for such a simple task, too much destruction for such a small target, it was… a horrifying reminder of what Kacchan could become… of what he could become if Kacchan managed to get too strong; Izuku almost wanted to tell the girl to leave him alone, to stop walking such destructive path… then he heard the ground moving, and Aqua's scream.

"IZUKU, IZUKU! Another one!" Aqua screamed as she backed away from the incoming toad, apparently the explosion awakened it… too close to the explosive girl.

"Megumin! Retreat at once!" Izuku ordered as he knew that spell casters were physically weak, unfit to take punishment… there was a problem though, Megumin was in the ground, unmoving.

"I'm sorry but I can't. My art, powerful as it is, requires far more mana than I…" Megumin began to explain her weakness, trying her best to sound as cool as possible while trying to find the correct phrase to ask for help… she didn't had to.

"You'll explain later!" Izuku shouted as he enveloped her with his vines, taking her away from the toad that was pretty much ready to swallow her whole; Megumin had to admit that the druid was pretty warm to the touch, as he had tied her against his back.

"Izuku! That thing is now following me! HELP!" Aqua was quick to scream, gaining the attention of the green haired boy.

"You are not eating anyone! EVER AGAIN!" Izuku shouted as he realized that this particular toad was too stubborn about eating human flesh, most likely the result of liking such meat after a successful hunt.

Izuku ran after the toad, not managing good speed due to his normal conditioning and having to carry the small girl on his back; he opted for creating even more vines, moving them to intercept the monster, grasping one of the legs… then he willed more vines, but this time, sprouting them from the already used vine, making them appear at the leg of the toad, trapping both legs, making it trip.

"I would have let you go if you simply had left… instead you tried to eat my friends!" Izuku was beyond angry, as it had been bad enough to see the goddess almost eaten once… even if she was annoying, being devoured was something she didn't deserve.

More and more vines began to cover the struggling toad, then they began to enter its body through any holes they could find; the toad redoubled its struggles, but within a minute, it was dead, with most of its organs skewered or turned to mush. Izuku didn't like this level of violence, much less how easier it was turning out to be… then again, it was a little bit like hunting game, as the meat of this large animal will be used by the guild to make the local specialty: fried frog, extra crispy.

"Well, that makes five…" Aqua said at the sight, sounding like a bittersweet victory celebration.

"Quest completed?" Megumin asked, getting really comfortable on her warm nest.

"Quest completed." Izuku replied, feeling tired… mentally tired; this had gone wrong in so many levels, forcing him to work twice as hard, and trice as needed, but at least he was learning, about this world, its inhabitants, and more importantly, about himself.

"Hey, Izuku, if we share the reward we could…" Aqua began to speak on her cute voice, trying her best to convey cooperation and good will, all while following Izuku, who was walking to the city.

"You can do whatever you want with your hard earned money. I'm saving mine to get some sort of shelter." Izuku vehemently said while interrupting the goddess, who looked not pleased at all.

"WHAT?! What's wrong with spending a few more nights in the stables?" Aqua was quick to ask, seeing her chance at getting more expensive wine gone up in a smoke.

"So, what happened there, Megumin? Why did you collapse?" Izuku asked to the girl he was giving a piggy ride, obviously ignoring the now whining blue haired girl.

"Ah, yes! Explosion magic is the strongest magic there is, as such, it requires the largest amount of mana; when I cast it, I use everything I have, in short, I exceed my limits to cast it, which leaves me… indisposed." Megumin replied, sounding a little shy at the end.

"Sounds like a bad deal to me; I don't like it… don't use it unless it is an emergency, or a well planed tactical strike." Izuku ordered with a voice firmer than he intended, earning a nod from the crimson demon girl.

"Stick to something else while I work on strategies when explosion is required." Izuku added now, feeling the need to be specific to earn useful results; in the background, Aqua insisted on Izuku sharing his money with her, not able to understand that her trick will not work again.

"I can't." Megumin deadpanned, making Izuku stop, and turn to look her in the eye; she had to admit that for what she had said, those green eyes didn't seem all that angry.

"Why?" Izuku asked, more in concern than anything else; if magic is real in this world, so must be curses.

"Because… I only like explosion magic." Megumin replied with her best straight face, trying her best to prepare for the usual rant she receives in these situations.

"That's the only reason?" Izuku asked now, sounding disappointed, but not angry; while she loved explosions just as much as Kacchan, at the very least she didn't have his horrible disposition.

"That's the only reason." Megumin replied, getting ready to cling to the druid, and beg for a place in his party… those berries were divine, and she could get used to his warm too.

"You could have said you were cursed, or that you family bloodline restricted you…" Izuku said as he resumed his walk, not loosening his grip on the explosive magician.

"That's so cool! I can't believe I didn't think on that before! Let me change my explanation!" Megumin was excited, not only the green haired boy didn't drop her on the spot; he even managed to not be angry at her.

"You can't change it now, I already know the truth… and we have to work on what you can do." Izuku added, knowing better than to be unreasonable, after all, everyone he knew with a quirk refused to use anything else.

Still following them, Aqua was seething, unable to deal with how this boy was acting so high and mighty, and how he was giving more attention to the newcomer… if he didn't redirect his attention to her soon enough, she will have to resort to call him lolicon.

* * *

 **Magnus:** When I mentioned the slight possibility of having Megumin as Izuku's pairing, I wasn't asking for a vote... I appreciate the enthusiasm though. I also agree with some of you, Wiz and Yunyun sound like better options.


	4. Chains Of Morality

**Magnus:** Well, it is time to break away from canon, which means it is time to break the world. That being said, please remember that this is an experimental story, and as such, it won't take priority over "Cursed Blood", at most, you'll be getting one chapter of this story for every three chapters of the other, so, please be patient.

 **Disclaimer:** Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the anime, the only reference to people with animal traits is Aqua calling them as sinful, right?

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Chains of morality**

Izuku sighed, trying his best to think the better of his companions, earning sympathetic smiles from the counter lady, and the pity of the waiters; no one wanted to see the cute druid so down at this time in the morning, but the guild was a business too, so there were no free drinks for the boy.

Just an hour ago, the two girls of his party began a heated argument, and being the good natured guy he is, he tried to calm them down…

 _=Flashback=_

It all started harmless enough; Izuku had brought up a topic Megumin was not comfortable with… becoming useful.

"I'm not saying you HAVE to learn and use other attack spells," Izuku said with a warm smile, trying to convey only good intentions, " I'm just saying that a little bit of utility would benefit us all."

Megumin pouted as she tried to come up with an answer to earn victory, making an adorable sound as she tried to look menacing.

"And I'm telling you that I only love and use explosion magic!" Megumin replied after a few seconds, as if trying to dominate the green haired boy through her childish display, "Anything else is just a waste of time and skill points."

Izuku couldn't help but to smile to the little girl, unable to get angry at her stubbornness, but truly willing to help her get over her obsession so she can grow into a better Arch Wizard.

"A waste? Really?" Izuku asked with a tilted head, already knowing where to strike, "How many points does it cost to learn Mage Light or Produce Flame?"

Izuku already knew the answer, so Megumin's pout was a clear sign of her defeat… at least on the logic department.

"One point each…" Megumin replied in a low voice, not failing to notice the victorious smile on the young druind's face, "BUT STILL!"

"So, you lose nothing… but gain a lot." Izuku interrupted, making Megumin lower her sight for a moment, "Did you know that you can set things ablaze with Produce Flame? You could still make things explode with it."

Megumin really didn't want to give in, but at the same time, Izuku's logic was flawless; she could still be the best at making explosions, while being able to be useful in many more situations… then Aqua spoke…

"Stop it already, this little child will never listen to you." Aqua's words were not only mocking, but they also hit the Arch Wizard where it hurt the most, "Besides, showering her with attention only makes you look like a lolicon!"

"I'M NOT A CHILD!"

"I'M NOT A LOLICON!"

Both Megumin and Izuku slammed their hands on the table in clear disagreement, making Aqua flinch at the energetic response… then the two locked eyes with each other, as if suddenly realizing something.

"I'm fourteen, and you?" Izuku asked to the petite Arch Wizard in a slightly low voice, earning the surprise of his female companions.

"Thirteen; I'm not a child anymore." Megumin replied, trying her best to be discrete about scanning the boy before her.

"See? Same age range." Izuku added as he returned to a sitting position.

"Yeah! I'm not a loli, so he is not a lolicon!" Megumin added as she sat too, crossing her arms for added impact.

"Besides, I wouldn't hit on someone I see like a little sister." Izuku finished… unknowingly digging his own grave…

 _=End of Flashback=_

Izuku remembered with no little guilt how Megumin excused herself to hit the local bookstore… to think about his proposal in peace; Izuku had to admit that he should at least have explained the Arch Wizard that it was too soon for him to talk about romance… not that he was able to see her like a woman… yet.

Aqua was so infuriating after Megumin had left with the haunted face… laughing at his lack of tact, and toying with a girl's heart; to make things worse, the moment it became obvious that he was about to reprimand her… she fled, excusing herself to go to the local church of Axis to grace her followers with her divine presence.

"Girls are so complicated…" Izuku muttered to himself, knowing that it was not his fault that the young girl had jumped to the wrong conclusion, and yet feeling somehow guilty about the whole thing.

In an attempt to distract his mind from his problems with girls, Izuku turned to his adventurer card, taking notice of the level ups he had gotten, and the skill points he now had at his disposal. Deciding to not give in to the temptation of just strengthening his current skills, he decided to give a check on other skills he could potentially use, either as his own way to build up his quirk-based skill set, or a way to better himself for the monumental task of defeating the Devil King.

"Plant Growth, Spike Growth and Dancing Lights…" Izuku muttered to himself as he read the descriptions of said skills.

 **Plant Growth** allowed him to either ensure a bountiful growth on local plant life, be it crops or otherwise, and allowed him to make plants he could touch grow according to his needs.

 **Spike Growth** made plants he could see grow sharp thorns of varying sizes, apparently to be set as traps or to hinder the movement of diverse creatures.

 **Dancing Lights** produced numerous wisps of light that would take any shape he imagined, and would move according to his will, either dispersed or as a single source of light.

Izuku had a little bit of experience combining skills to create unintended effects, like his Vine Whip, which could be controlled with Plant Manipulation to make it act like a tentacle… as much as he hated the comparison; by this previous experience, he wondered if it was possible to combine more skills to create something new for maximum versatility.

"Well, only one way to know…" Izuku muttered once more as he selected and purchased the three skills.

The moment he felt his changes taking place, he decided to make the experiment; first he created the Vine Whip, then he used Plant Manipulation to coil it around his arm and hand, forming a green knuckle duster… then he activated Spike Growth…

"This may work…" Izuku muttered as he watched his knuckle duster sprout sharp looking thorns, but only to the outside, keeping his hand safe.

"This will definitively work!" Izuku almost shouted as he watched the effects of Plant Growth, making the already sharp thorns take the shape of menacing claws.

Happy with the results, he spent his remaining points on Bark Skin and Spike Growth, making them better, so he wouldn't have to doubt his combat capabilities if the girls were to be endangered by more giant toads… he still doubted the effectiveness of his skills on armored opponents, but he was still a low level Druid.

"BOYS! BOYS!" A blonde male adventurer entered the guild hall with quite the loud scream, earning everyone's attention, "Lady Dronya! Lady Dronya is in town!"

Murmuring quickly rose among the male adventurers in the hall, making the green haired druid mildly interested, just not enough to ask questions about it… even if he had been here for only a short while, he had beginning to understand the inclinations and proclivities of the local population… he guessed that the bikini 'armors' that many females liked to wear influenced such unsightly behavior on the more rude of the guys.

"You sure about that, Dust?" One of the other adventurers, one with a Mohawk, asked to the now identified blond, "Is rather early for her to come here."

Now Izuku was interested, as someone famous was in town, and apparently her appearance was something of a yearly event; he had to wonder thought, was she a special merchant? A performer?

As soon as Dust made his way to a table, the doors of the guild hall opened, revealing a voluptuous woman with long black hair; Izuku was seriously thankful for her rather sensible dress, as it covered her entire body while not hiding how beautiful she was… her eyes were a little eerie though.

Izuku gasped when another two figures entered behind her.

One was a petite short girl, probably the same height as Megumin, with midnight black hair that seemed frozen in a specific style, just long enough to cover her ears and one eye, giving her a little of an emo cut; her arms, however, were a pair of large wings with long feathers the same color of her hair, to top it all, her legs, from the knee down, were avian in nature, large leathery talons ending in hooked claws… Harpy came to mind by looking at her.

The second one, while also female, was more like an Amazonian champion; her arms and feet were reptilian in nature, from the end of her back, a massive reptilian tail grew up; parts of her face were lined with scales, and instead of human looking ears, large fin like structures were seen… the scales and long hair were all white, which coupled with a pale skin and red eyes, gave for quite the albino appearance… Izuku really didn't want to say Lizardman for some reason… maybe due to her glaringly female body… or maybe because she sported quite the intimidating muscles.

What made Izuku concerned about these two, however, were two facts: first, they were wearing only cloth sacs as clothes, and second, they had massive iron collars around their necks… there was no other way about it; he was looking at slaves.

"Madam Dronya?" Luna asked in little surprise, making Izuku pay attention, "We weren't expecting you until next summer."

"I know, dear; I know my presence stresses you and all other females in town," The woman spoke in a rather apologetic way… if only mired by how mocking her voice was, "But I assure you that I've come for a different kind of business."

At her words, most of the males in the hall voiced their disappointment; Izuku had a bad feeling about this, as he couldn't think on why the males were so keen to see this woman… who walked around with female slaves… in a town with no shortage of perverts… oh god…

"… are you certain?" Dronya asked after a few minutes of conversation, forcing Izuku to return to the present, "This exact quest?"

"Indeed, the nobleman you are looking for took this very same quest." Luna answered with a worried look in her eyes, "Only one of his party members returned, speaking about how he was murdered by the goblin champion."

"And this party member didn't carry his belongings?" Dronya's question made Izuku frown.

"She returned barely alive and with most of her clothes torn." Luna informed, as if taking offence, "It is pretty obvious she didn't had time to recover the belongings of her companions."

"I see…" Dronya replied with a rather evil smile, sending shivers through Izuku's spine.

The woman looked at the quest post for a few seconds before turning to the tables of the hall; Izuku could see the cold calculating eyes of the woman, looking at everyone within the hall like tools on a shed… only disposable objects.

"Slaying the goblin champion and clearing the infested cave within the forest, one million eris as reward." Dronya loudly announced the quest and reward, not failing to notice that the adventurers gathered didn't seen all too interested, " As long as I can recover the belongings of my fellow Imperial nobleman, and his party, you can keep the entire reward, plus whatever else you can find within the cave!"

Dronya's eye began to twitch as her only answers were the occasional cough here and there, as it was obvious that her request was being ignored. Izuku knew why she was ignored; the quest was a truly dangerous one, as well as poorly paid for the hazards. Goblins, while being nothing more than an annoying pest in the open forest, were absolutely deadly within their nests, were they could move and ambush with absolute impunity… being led by a champion only made it all the worse, meaning that if the woman wanted to hire help, she would have to wait for some high level heavy hitters to arrive.

"I will also be willing to part with any of my commodities…" Dronya said with annoyance, obviously using a last resort… this time earning some hopeful stares, "… within reason, of course."

As she finished, most of the hopeful stares died down… until a pair of hands slammed into a table, and a green haired boy stood up with a rather penetrating stare…

"Will you be willing to part with your slaves?" Izuku asked aloud, earning a surprised stare from the vile woman… and yet he felt his stomach drop at the lack of murmurs or cries of outrage at the mention of such horrible word.

"These two?" Dornya asked as she turned to look at the now fearful harpy and the frowning reptilian woman, "Sure."

 _Hours later, on their way toward the center of the forest…_

As they traveled on the wagon toward their destination, Izuku couldn't help but to feel that everything was wrong; he had expected that the adventurers at the guild, especially the women, would be outraged at the mention of slavery, at seeing the girls in such horrible state, but no, no one paid any mind to such sight or crime against humanity…

Every now and then he would turn to look at the two girls in the back of the wagon, just to find that both of them would return the gesture with curiosity; they seemed to understand that he was interested on them, but even that seemed wrong in the mind of the young druid.

"I'm going to take an educated guess…" Dronya said, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence, "… and say you are not from around here."

Izuku let out a sigh, knowing that the vile woman was about to mock his lack of knowledge, and probably say that slavery was perfectly legal.

"I'm…" Izuku began to answer while thinking on how to word something plausible, "… from a far away land."

The vile woman let out a chuckle, as if making fun of his answer, earning a frown from the green haired teen.

"I suppose that in this far away land slavery is illegal." Dronya's reply had surprised Izuku, as that meant that the woman at the very least was aware of the idea that slavery is wrong.

"Yes, it is." Izuku answered with some caution.

The woman smiled, widely, looking absolutely evil while doing so.

"I'm going to take another educated guess…" Dronya's tone had taken on a very somber tone, making Izuku sweat, "… your far away land is called… Japan?"

Izuku was taken aback, torn between feeling excited by finding another traveler like him, and fearful of what that meant.

"It… is." Izuku couldn't help but to answer with wide eyes, "Are you too from Japan?"

"Do I look Asian to you?" Dronya could only chuckle at the hopeful question, shaking her head no, "I am from England."

Admittedly, Izuku felt like an idiot, of course she didn't look Japanese, he was just hoping that she was on the same page as he was; then another thought crossed his mind… what if she was from an alternate Earth?

"You must be fairly new to this world to still stick to your hero dreams." Dronya's continuation at least answered one of Izuku's doubts, as her wording meant a world of heroes, "I was like that when I first arrived, wanting to make up for being born quirkless by becoming the most incredible heroine of this world."

Izuku couldn't help but to reel at such revelation, and at the fact that the woman at his side had… given up…

"What changed?" Izuku asked with apprehension, not wanting to hear the typical bullshit about being a hopeless dream, and yet not willing to be swayed from his own dream by some harsh reality speech.

"I found out that this world doesn't deserve a real hero." Dronya's answer was actually delivered with a sad voice, "So, I gave up."

Seeing the frown on her companion, she decided to elaborate.

"I started my journey in the Empire, the neighboring nation; I was fourteen and naïve, full of hope in a really sparkly city where heroes of legend were born, and with an invincible treasure in my hands, I truly believed I would bring the Devil King to his knees, and administer justice to save the lovely world that welcomed me with open arms." Dronya's words were full of sarcasm and pain, making the poor druid feel bad for her.

"One week later… just one fucking week later…" Dronya's words came with a face full of anger, and a hiss that was more akin to an enraged snake, "Do you know how horrible it feels to give your heart to someone, just to catch the bastard cheating with who proclaimed to be your best friend?"

While Izuku had no experience whatsoever in the love department, he was truly aware that such a pain was common grounds to turn to villainy, that's why he placed his hand on her shoulder, as an attempt to bring some level of comfort to the woman… late as it was.

"I'm… sorry." Izuku said with honest words, trying to reach the woman, maybe even return her to the path of the heroes, "For whatever its worth, I can't imagine anyone cheating on someone as beautiful as you."

"Stop it; I'm not a shotacon." Dronya's sudden answer made Izuku aware of how Megumin felt at such wording, much to the amusement of the raven haired woman, "Besides, I think it's time I tell you what you need to know."

Dronya made a dramatic pause, conveying that the boy required paying special attention to her words.

"You want to own these slaves to set them free, right?" Dronya asked in a rather grave voice, earning the full attention of the young druid besides her, "You are thinking on being their hero by breaking their chains."

"Yes, that's the plan." Izuku replied without missing a beat, earning a sigh from the imperial woman, "Do you oppose?"

"It's not that I oppose." The noblewoman answered with a heavy voice, and a little bit of annoyance, "It's that the whole world opposes."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Izuku couldn't help but to scream his incredulity, accidentally scaring the harpy in the back of the wagon.

"Slavery on this world is sanctioned by the cults of the two goddesses…" Dronya's answer earned a startled stare from the young boy, "Yes, by the very same Aqua that tricked us into coming to this fucked up world."

Izuku made a mental note to sit down with certain blue haired goddess when all this is over, and have a very long chat about everything that was wrong with slavery… assuming he doesn't get any angrier and decided to let his whips do the talking.

"Now, is not like you can find young girls in the slave market… at least not in this kingdom." Dronya wasn't helping to calm down the green haired boy, "Slavery only applies to demi-humans, people with animal features; Humans, Elves, Dwarves and Halflings are all considered as favored by the goddesses, and thus, it is illegal to enslave them."

"That explains why no one cared…" Izuku muttered, earning a nod from the woman.

"Slaves, such as the two you want, are branded and cursed, so they can't disobey, betray or hurt their owner in any way or form; this brand also makes it impossible for them to survive away from their master." Dronya's explanation made Izuku's blood run cold, as that made their existence sad, "To make things worse… slaves of races like these two are both born and bred into slavery; do you understand what I'm saying?"

Izuku was frozen on his spot, unable to cope with such cruelty; Dronya graced him with a sympathetic smile, as if understanding his shock.

"The brand was made by the one of the goddesses, and only said goddess can undo it." Dronya's words gave a little bit of hope to the green haired boy, as it meant that maybe Aqua would be able to free them, "However, even if you somehow can contact that goddess and convince her to remove it… they don't know how to survive on their own."

Dronya didn't wait for a reaction from the boy to turn to look at the two girls on the back of the wagon, showing a smug smile and a rather evil glint, making the poor girls shrink in fear.

"Hey, scaly, feathers, do you want to be free?" Dronya's question threw Izuku for a loop, forcing him to turn to look at said girls; in hopes of hearing them say that they indeed wanted their freedom.

"No! Please don't throw us away!" The harpy spoke in a raspy whisper, shaking at the very idea of being thrown away; the reptilian girl at her side only had a pleading look on her eyes, "We'll work twice as hard!"

"Do you understand now?" Dronya asked to a now sick looking Izuku, who truly wanted to enact violent justice against the savages that damaged these girls… and any other slave.

 _Half an hour later…_

Izuku and Dronya arrived at the entrance of the goblins' nest, having just a few hours before sunset, when the critters were more active, getting ready to exit and attack people; it was time for the woman to reveal the true nature of her mission too…

"Well, I guess it is just fair for you to know what is this all about." Dronya spoke, earning the attention of the young druid, "What I want, the only thing I came for, is to recover my stolen treasure."

Izuku knew that something was wrong with the lady, but at the very least, it wasn't on a more sinister direction.

"Two months ago, the son of a noble I used to work with, stole my divine treasure, the cursed tome known as the Tractatus De Monstrum." Dronya explained to a bewildered Izuku, "The imbecile must have thought that he would be able to use its magnificent powers to gain fame and fortune; apparently, he had to find the hard way that such divine treasures cannot be used by anyone else but by the rightful owner."

"So… he died by his own hand?" Izuku asked, feeling bad at wording such tragedy that way.

"He deserved it." Dronya answered without hesitation or remorse, "Anyway, I only care for my treasure; after I get it the girls are yours."

"Just like that?" Izuku asked, his tongue having a foul taste yet again.

"Well, we have to complete the transaction at the guild, so everything is legal." Dronya replied, making a pause when she noticed the stare of the boy, "Of course, if you feel confident on completing the goblin extermination quest, I won't stop you; but I'd prefer if I get my tome before attempting such risky endeavor."

"So… getting in, getting the book and getting out?" Izuku asked as he watched the entrance of the cave, wishing that his bark skin and newly learned thorns would be enough to survive the attempt, "I can do that… I think."

"Before you go in, here, take this." Dronya interrupted the boy while giving him a crystal ball, "This is a sensor ball, it is attuned to this other crystal ball, which allows me to see the surroundings around the sensor; the book doesn't really look like a divine treasure, so I will need to tell you when you find it."

Izuku watched both artifacts with an eye twitching, not knowing how to word how upset he was, both at himself for thinking such dangerous strategies, and at the woman for taking this long to speak of something so useful.

"What?" It was Dronya's turn to be bewildered by the annoyed stare from the green haired teen.

 _About half an hour later…_

Dronya was equal parts scared and marveled, the boy before her was apparently the holder of a divine talent, because there was no other explanation for the absurd level of ingenuity displayed by the young druid…

"That seems to be a dead end…" Dronya said as she and Izuku watched the crystal ball between them, "That sword could fetch a good price though."

Izuku had decided that no one would take any risk, so, he took the sensor ball, and tied it to his vine whip; Dronya had been understandably scared at the sight of the vine moving like a serpent, then she watched in morbid fascination how the druid summoned a horde of fireflies that surrounded the sensor, which then followed it as the vine made its way into the dark cave.

"Got it." Izuku replied as the sensor showed yet another vine grow and wrap the sword, yanking it from the ground, "Are you sure the gaudy book we found earlier is not your treasure?"

As the verdant appendage continued its trek through the cave, they had been able to find quite a few good items, like a golden rod with a beautiful ruby on its head, the silver sword adorned with diverse jewels, and a book with an ivory cover; and yet, the woman insisted that her treasure should be in another direction.

"Don't look at me as if I'm greedy." Dronya replied with an annoyed glare, and still, she kept her voice in check, she was too close to recover her treasure, so, she couldn't afford to alienate this extremely useful partner, "You are the one keeping all this expensive trinkets."

"I would like to keep these crystal balls." Izuku blurted out without thinking, as he couldn't help but to notice the tactical value they offered to his skill set.

"You like them?" Dronya asked with a raised brow, making Izuku grimace, "We can talk about a trade or a price after you get your loot appraised at the town."

Dronya's suggestion caught the curiosity of the young druid, who decided to focus on the task at hand before thinking on the opportunity presented. Izuku wasn't blinded by the treasure, because with each section explored, it became apparent that a lot of adventurers had lost their lives to this particular nest, if the amount of bones and rotten corpses were any indication.

"There it is!" Dronya shouted in rarely heard happiness as she looked into the crystal ball, looking at what Izuku could only describe as junk.

"That's it?" Izuku asked with incredulity at the sight of a rather small book with a leather cover full of stitches, and adorned with an eyeball, "For real?"

"For real." Dronya deadpanned, not wanting to lose any more time to get her treasure back… then they heard trouble…

The sensor was suddenly shaken, and forcefully directed to look at a rather large goblin, probably the champion that lead the horde. It's not like they hadn't found goblins during the exploration, but the dumb critters didn't react to the vines or fireflies like they were a threat, instead they just poked at it and then retreated further in… it now downed into the travelers that they had been reporting back to their leader.

"Oh no! Not when we are so close!" Dronya was falling into despair, knowing that neither of them had been equipped to fight a champion, and the ugly bastard would not let them recover the sensor.

"I don't have time for this…" Izuku said in a rather cold voice, surprising the woman.

Izuku had deemed these creatures evil, monsters that killed and destroyed just for fun, beasts that just like rabid dogs, needed to be put down. That's why he didn't hesitate to test his new offensive skill.

Dronya watched how yet another vine sprouted from below the sensor, and as fast as a whip, it darted into the mouth of the snarling champion… then spike sprouted from within the champion, killing him without a chance to fight back…

"What in the?" Dronya couldn't believe what she was seeing, as the vines sprouted extremely long and sharp thorns that quickly murdered the goblins by the dozens, leaving no resistance left.

"Let's finish this already." Izuku said, sounding a little bit shaken after witnessing how lethal his new skill set had proven to be, "It's getting late, and I don't want my teammates to worry about me."

Dronya couldn't help but to think… that this naïve druid may be able to do it; to become the hero this fucked up world needed… even if it didn't deserve him.

 _Guild hall, by sunset…_

Izuku was actually squirming under the glare of the petite crimson demon, unable to deal with her adorable pout, unable to even try to defend his stance in the matter…

"P-please, don't glare at our master." The raspy whispers of the harpy only seemed to make the petite Arch Wizard angrier.

Once in the town, Izuku and Dronya had the loot properly appraised, and after all the transactions and change of ownerships had been done; Izuku found himself with three million eris at his name, two slaves at his command, and two crates full of female clothing and accessories. The two animal girls had been really surprised to be told to wear what they called pretty clothes, and even more than surprised when their new master had bought them real food, which they were eating at a table, and not the floor.

"Since when do you have the money to purchase and maintain slaves?" Megumin asked in a voice so serious it was almost hilarious, and yet, Izuku was beginning to sweat.

"I got them as part of a quest." Izuku replied, getting an even harder pout from the petite girl, "And I will let you know that I can feed them regardless of how much money I have… I can produce food, after all."

Megumin still pouted, but now she directed her glare at the slaves, that were now dressed on khaki shorts and green tunics, with both collars and cuffs removed, meaning that the druid had no intention on treating like objects or cheap help… her only actual fear was that the boy may actually be a demi-lover.

"I guess we now have some extra help while adventuring…" Megumin finally conceded, plopping down on the table, "You still have to treat me to dinner! You shouldn't have left without me! Not after I… I actually… wasted a skill point on learning Produce Flame."

Megumin's demand and confession actually brought a smile to the young druid, who was quick to order a large stack of fried frog for his explosive companion. The smile and change of demeanor of the crimson demon felt like much needed medicine to Izuku, who really wanted to see things worth saving and protecting in this world.

"Hey! Who brought these two to my table?" Aqua's voice was what Izuku was waiting for, as he believed that this would be the best opportunity to see the goddess being useful and powerful.

"Aqua, I've been waiting for you!" Izuku's words brought a sparkly smile to the Arch Priest, and a sour frown to the Arch Wizard.

"Really?" Megumin's voice was largely ignored, much to her increased annoyance.

"Oh! So, you are ready to recognize my greatness and praise my divine power!" Aqua cheered, as it was due time she was praised and pampered by this quirkless idiot.

"Sure." Izuku started, earning the full attention of the blue haired goddess, "If you can remove the cursed brand from these two."

"Of course I can!" Aqua happily answered, earning a hopeful smile from the druid, "I just won't do it!"

Aqua had been too happy to crush his hopes for this world, too willing to burn his desire to protect everyone… it was at that moment that Izuku Midoriya began to doubt his path as a hero, for no hero would align with such an evil deity as the one before him.

* * *

 **Magnus:** Next chapter will finally include Darkness; maybe then I'll open a poll to see if Izuku ends up with a pairing.


	5. Hero's Promise

**Magnus:** I'm sorry for the delay, but I had to deal with an episode of depression. Remember to visit my profile to vote for Izuku's pairing.

 **Disclaimer:** This is an experimental story, why do people expect this to follow canon and not have OOCness?

 **Edit:** This chapter was edited by **Vandenbz**.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **A Hero's Promise**

Izuku was having trouble getting to sleep, turning on his spot in the stables. He had more than enough money to rent a room in the inn, but thanks to the two new additions to his party, the inn keeper had to refuse to rent them a room… at the very least, he explained that an inspector from the capital was staying for the week, and said inspector was an adamant enemy of one of his new friends.

Turns out, the goddess Eris hates harpies.

Unable to send the bird girl alone to the stables, he opted to have them all together, with him, as he couldn't bear staying in a comfortable room while these two had to make due with a pile of hay…

But both were soundly asleep while he was the uncomfortable one.

' _This… is a horrible world…_ _'_ Izuku thought as he turned to look at the black harpy, who was sleeping with a cute smile on her makeshift nest, seemingly uncaring of the horrible things she had endured so far, _'I promise I'll find a way to let you fly again, Chika.'_

Chika was the name he had given to the black harpy. It was simple and unimaginative, and the girl was incredibly happy for it… even when Aqua pointed that it sounded like a pun. It was just after giving her this name that Izuku learned the horrors that she had to endure since birth, starting with a mandatory mutilation.

According to the teachings of Eris, a harpy that is going to live amongst humans must have her tail and the thumb-claws of her wings cut, so they can't either fly nor learn to use human tools. Izuku's heart ached at knowing this unethical practice, a religious practice nonetheless; he just couldn't believe that a goddess so loved by the masses could be so cruel.

' _A religion that practices such horrible things can't be a good one.'_ Izuku thought as he turned around, this time looking at the reptilian girl, a member of the lizardfolk, _'And I will find a way to heal you too, Liza.'_

Liza, the name he gave to the now identified gator-kin girl; while the name was an even worse pun than the one given to the harpy, this time Aqua hesitated to laugh… apparently, gator-kin are a sub-species of lizardfolk that far exceeds their cousins in strength and toughness, giving them muscles capable of bending iron barehanded, and resisting normal strikes with little damage, however, they were incredibly easy to anger, prone to violence, and apparently dumber than bricks.

According to Chika, Liza was unable to follow the script given to her by the slave trader, not able to lie about her heritage, as the slaver wanted to pass her off as a regular Lizardfolk to a hunter. Her acting was so bad, that the slaver opted for cutting her tongue in an attempt to make her look like her submissive cousins… Dronya was still able to see what she truly was, giving her the upper hand in haggling for her price. Since the vile woman just needed extra bodies for her mission, she got her regardless of the possible hazards.

' _Why can't the goddesses show a little bit of kindness?'_ Izuku nearly screamed in his head, unable to cope with the fact that he had to travel with such an insensitive goddess, _'Is it too much to ask for some healing?'_

While Aqua seemed to enjoy being uncooperative, Megumin showed a curious level of helpfulness; the explosive Arch Wizard, noticing Izuku's need for an explanation, went into a long winded retelling of the war of a thousand years ago.

The story told about a war that engulfed the entire continent, where demi-humans attempted to wipe out humans, elves and dwarves. The favored races fought separately in the beginning, none wanting to shame themselves asking for help, until the Avariel (a winged subspecies of elf) and the Duergar (a dark-skinned subspecies of dwarf) went extinct due to the cunning of the harpies and the lamias.

It was at that moment that he learned that the Avariel were the beloved children of Eris… meaning that from that moment onward, harpies became the direct enemies of the 'benevolent' goddess.

Megumin then got to the part that marked the turn of the war, and the beginning of the age of heroes, as it was at that point that a human hero appeared and united the three races against the demi-humans, earning victory after victory, pushing the threat back until they no longer had the numbers to continue… then… the hunt continued until the strongest races of demi-humans went extinct, and the remnants were forced to live in small tribes that had been hunted down by slavers to this day.

Izuku was horrified by this information, and while he could understand Eris' anger, he could not condone this barbarism; he, being Japanese, knew better than anyone else that this hatred was wrong, because condoning it would be like saying that it's alright to wipe out from existence all of the German and Japanese people as retaliation for the Second World War.

Once all was said and done, Megumin asked something that made Izuku smile with sadness.

" _You bought them so they won't suffer in the Empire, right?"_

The petite Arch Wizard didn't wait for an answer, and instead said that she will get him a book that will help in dealing with the girls… then Aqua asked about the sleeping arrangements.

' _I will not share my room with someone like her!'_ Izuku mentally screamed as he forced his eyes shut.

 _The next morning…_

' _This is bad!'_ Izuku thought in panic as he took notice of his situation, _'THIS IS REALLY BAD!'_

As usual, at least since he became a Druid, Izuku woke up with the first light of the morning; unlike before, he did so today with two female bodies hugging him. At some point during the night, Chika and Liza moved to the sides of the now flustered teenager, hugging his body and using his chest as a pillow. It wasn't uncomfortable at all, but it was incredibly shocking for the green haired boy.

While thinking on how to get out of this situation, Izuku felt how Liza's tail moved, coiling tighter around his waist, moving up and down his crotch… making his already awkward morning wood even worse.

"Err… girls? Could you please wake up?" Izuku asked, unsure if he should just shake them awake, or be kind and gentle about it… then he felt Chika's feathers gently caressing his abdomen as if she was placing a blanket over him.

"Never mind. Wake up already!" Izuku finally moved with the intention of waking the girls up, and while he raised his voice, he couldn't bring himself to yell.

"UWA?!" Chika was quick to open her eyes in alarm, taking a second to look at her new master with a little bit of fear, as if expecting a beating… seeing it wasn't coming, she relaxed, "Morning."

Chika did her best to step away from her master to avoid getting in his way, rising to her feet with the little grace she could muster, obviously awaiting orders; Liza, however, seemed to have trouble disentangling from the warm body she had latched onto, her cold blooded body demanding more cuddle time… that this was the first time a human had given her such a level of warmth wasn't helping her cause.

"Come on, Liza!" Izuku raised his voice just a little more, barely earning a reaction from the gator-girl, "We have a lot to do today!"

Seeing that kind words weren't enough, and feeling his body starting to react the wrong way, he decided to take things into his own hands… or rather, vines.

Liza finally woke up with a start as she felt her heavy body being forcefully lifted from her warm bed, only to discover that she was being held up by vines that looked way too close to whips for comfort. Izuku locked eyes with the albino reptilian, and after a second… he gently placed her on the ground, standing, and without following retaliation.

"Now that you two are awake…" Izuku addressed the slaves with a serious voice, making the poor girls go stiff at the idea of being disciplined, "Get dressed. You need to get your adventurer cards today, and I'm sure you'll want something solid for breakfast."

The girls blinked in surprise, finding it hard to believe that their new master hadn't approached the morning as they expected, for he neither tried to use their bodies for pleasure, as they were trained to accept, nor attempt to hurt them as retaliation for inconveniencing him. The fact that he was giving them privacy was also of note…

 _Later at the guild hall…_

Izuku was proven yet again that this world was twisted and dark.

"This is ridiculous!" Izuku muttered at himself as he looked at the cards in his hand, "What's wrong with these rules?"

When brought to the counter and the registration artifact, Luna indicated that the two demi-humans would not get adventurer cards like him, instead, they will be registered like add-ons of his card; the cards in his hand were actually slave cards, meaning that he would be responsible for their growth and actions during adventuring. To make things worse, these cards actually had cost thrice as much as his own registration… almost as if it was meant as a deterrent to see demi-humans grow stronger.

"It's not exactly wrong." Megumin, who was by his side while sporting a frown, said in apparent response to his quiet muttering. "Demi-humans under the adventurer status tend to grow faster than humans, meaning that if left unchecked they can become a threat."

Megumin's explanation may have held true, but that didn't change the fact that Izuku hated how restricted these two girls were.

When he had finished registering his slaves as part of his adventuring party, he had met with the petite Arch Wizard, who true to her word, had brought a book that detailed the biology and roles of demi-humans in society. The book also contained the basic set of rules to follow with the ownership of these slaves on the different regions of the continent, as well as suggestions on how to deal with their instincts.

Needless to say, Izuku wasn't pleased with the new information…

"So…" Megumin continued as she came to the realization that Izuku was not going to follow her previous statement, "What do you intend to do with them?"

Megumin's question was aimed to help her understand the green haired Druid, his heart and inclinations, and if possible, proclivities. The Crimson Demon had become really interested in the young boy before her, especially the way he gave her attention… attention that was diminishing due to the new additions to the party having it instead of her.

"I'm going to find a way to restore their bodies." Izuku answered without missing a beat, making Aqua choke on her drink, and Megumin to slightly pout, "Then I'll teach them to be self sufficient."

"You do understand that no priest is going to help you with that, don't you?" Aqua asked, feeling amused at the spirit of the boy, and sickened by how pure his intentions were.

"According to the library, I can learn restoration magic if I become an Arch Druid." Izuku's word cut deep into the goddess' pride, as she believed herself to be the only one the druid could turn to, "That also means I can ask other Arch Druids for help."

Aqua actually felt hurt by Izuku's words, she had been thinking on offering her help on that regard, after making him grovel and beg for it, of course.

"Don't you think you are going a little too far for just two demi-human slaves?" Megumin asked, trying her best to hide her growing annoyance. "I think it would be easier if you just looked for some noble or guild attendant to take them off your hands… even an inn or tavern may do so if they prove to be skilled enough."

Chika and Liza watched as the conversation kept going, knowing that these girls were talking about them, with no little animosity toward them, obviously wanting their new master to get rid of them; they also paid attention to how Izuku's face had been contorting in an odd mix of anger and sadness.

Chika was a step shy of hugging him to calm his mind, for she had felt that he didn't dislike her feathers.

Liza was getting ready to bite the one who was annoying her master the most.

Then someone else arrived at their table…

"I just happened to read your recruitment poster." A dignified voice made the party turn to meet the new arrival, who turned out to be a young woman, "I was wondering if you still have space in your party."

The young woman was tall and looked fit to be a warrior, her long blond hair was tied in a tall ponytail and had bangs over her forehead, making her look beautiful and serious. Her fair skin and chiseled features could easily make most guys fall for her. The new arrival was wearing a long yellow coat with pieces of armor that gave credence to her strength, although her asymmetrical shoulder pads confused the young Druid a little bit.

"Yes, we are still recruiting." Izuku replied with neutrality, internally grateful that this new arrival was wearing something that would cover her sensitive parts unlike others he had met before.

"Advanced job classes only!" Aqua immediately added, not wanting any more weak members in her party.

"Don't mind her." Izuku cut in just as fast, knowing better than to let the poor excuse of a goddess take the reins, "Common sense is more than enough to get in."

"A modicum of skill would be appreciated too." Megumin joined too, suddenly thinking that Izuku was weak to girls needing rescue.

Suddenly, the dignified female warrior seemed to be replaced by someone completely different.

"There is no need to worry; I'm a Crusader of the Eris faith." The young woman replied, making two of the assembled party wonder why she didn't say anything about common sense or skill first, "My name is Darkness… and I would like if you let me j-join your p-p-p-p-party!"

Izuku's mood was soured when the Crusader declared her faith; he would have loved to give her a chance regardless of the lack of mention at skill levels or common sense, but now he feared that she would try to do something against Chika, who was now cowering behind him.

"I don't think that's a good idea…" Megumin was the first to pass judgment, earning a sad sigh from the green haired Druid.

"What are you talking about?" Aqua spoke in uncharacteristic empathy, "She is a Crusader, an advanced elite class!"

"She can be a Knight Commander and it would still be a bad idea to let her join." Izuku passed judgment now.

While he loathed showing prejudice to someone based only on faith, this time he felt as if not needing to risk his friend to receive more suffering.

"What?" Darkness seemed to be distraught by such rejection, "Why?!"

Darkness was despairing, wondering if rumors about her had reached this new party already, or if she had said something wrong. A new girl appeared behind her and tapped her shoulder, earning her attention.

"Didn't I tell you to not be so pushy?" The newcomer asked with a friendly voice, earning the party's attention.

The girl was shorter than Darkness, her silver hair was cut before reaching her shoulders and her purple eyes seemed rather playful. Izuku took notice of her rather daring outfit, leaving way too much skin exposed, although it was less outrageous than some others he had already seen… her demeanor and the dagger she kept at her back screamed 'thief' to the Druid's mind.

"Besides, why would you join someone with that kind of baggage?" The new girl continued, this time pointing to the cowering Chika, who tried to become even smaller behind Izuku's back.

Even with the knowledge and understanding that this prejudice was inevitable, Izuku found himself tensing at the words of the newcomer. There was no need to ask, it was obvious for how they interacted that both shared the same faith, and in his mind, it would be logical to think that they would try to start a fight in order to show the strength of their belief.

Megumin noticed how Izuku tensed, aware of the situation that would probably develop, then she noticed Liza tensing, as an obvious result of her master getting ready for a confrontation… After a moment, she became aware that she was now gripping her staff as well.

"Who is being pushy now, Chris?" Darkness replied, apparently oblivious to the tension in the air, and apparently being more open minded than what Izuku thought, "The harpy seems well tamed; there is no need to denounce her as evil."

Denouncing Chika as evil? That made Izuku frown.

"That is still a harpy." Chris pointed out, not ready to drop the subject, "They are cunning and manipulative; why don't you ask her owner to show her stats?"

"I don't want to, and I don't have to." Izuku was quick to put a stop to the two ladies in front of him, making Megumin blink in surprise at how angry he sounded, "Please, find someone else to bother."

Izuku had had enough of these people, in fact, he'd had enough of this world. Last night he had the fleeting thought of parting ways with Aqua and make do with Megumin and the slaves, and now, that fleeting thought was beginning to take root.

" **Attention to all adventurers, please head to the main gate for the compulsory harvest event!"**

The announcement, coming from the loudspeakers, was enough to break the tension. Izuku was understandably puzzled by the sudden call, especially when everyone ignored him to walk towards the gates of the city. Having no reason to refuse a compulsory quest, he and his slaves follow the others to see what was happening…

 _Later at the gates of Axel…_

Izuku was, for lack of a better word, dumbstruck. All around him, the veterans and green adventurers were busy trying to fight off the swarming enemies, trying their very best to rack up kills as quickly as possible; it didn't matter if the adventurer was small and nimble, big and slow, or adept with magic, all of them were doing their best to deal with the numerous enemies.

"I… don't understand…" Izuku muttered to himself, his brain having trouble to accept the scene unfolding before him.

The massive army swarming the gates of the city consisted of… flying cabbages; plant creatures that had no other way of attacking but to use their own bodies to tackle whatever stood on their way. They weren't intelligent either, as they blindly moved forward with absolute disregard to their own health.

"I'LL PROTECT YOU!" Darkness' shout reached Izuku, who turned her way to see her being constantly hit by cabbages while using her body as a shield to protect a couple of adventurers that had fallen to the constant attacks of the little creatures.

Izuku's image of the Crusader had made a massive shift in the few minutes that he had seen her in action; buried now were the fears of having to deal with some sort of inquisitor, for even him, with his natural inclination to see the good in the people, couldn't help but to notice the face of pleasure that the Crusader was making at being constantly hit while pieces of her armor were being ripped off from her attire… she was a masochist… a very perverted masochist.

"This is stupid…" Izuku muttered as he gave up on making sense of this insanity.

According to what he could understand, this was a yearly event in which adventurers aimed to kill and collect the cabbages, earning money as they were considered a valuable ingredient of the region… there was also lettuce flying around, and Izuku was surprised to hear that it was considered a subpar ingredient.

"Got one!" Chika's whispery voice announced her participation in the event, if only because a stray cabbage was flying at her absentminded master.

Izuku had no real intention of partaking in such stupidity, but he still head-patted the black harpy for her effort at keeping him safe. The young Druid was also thinking about the thief's request to see the stats of the harpy, and that made him uncomfortable; he had noticed it the instant he got her slave card, her intelligence was high, high enough that Luna had advised him to keep her away from any magic tomes or artifacts. It was an unfounded fear though, how was she supposed to apply the somatic components of the spells?

Speaking of magic…

"EXPLOSION!"

Megumin fired her signature spell… right on top of the masochistic Darkness. Izuku had to admit that it was a sound tactical decision, because Darkness was being assaulted by what amounted to 80% of the cabbage army, and by how she was able to remain standing, it had been obvious that she was right to believe that the Crusader would be able to tank it… Izuku was exceptionally grateful that the booming sound masked the sounds of an orgasm.

"Maybe I should invest in a carriage…" Izuku muttered as things seemed to wind down, earning tilted heads from Chika and Liza, "If I stay here, I won't become strong… and I may end up snapping at someone."

The moment the words left his lips, Liza grimaced, as if expecting herself to be the reason for her master's distress. Upon seeing this, Izuku decided to scratch her jaw-line, making her return to a neutral expression… Izuku didn't fail to notice her tail waving, signaling her happiness at receiving positive attention.

"SECOND WAVE!"

The sudden scream made Izuku turn and look for the danger, feeling extremely irritated by the situation; he could have simply left the area, but upon noticing Megumin's limp body, and Darkness kneeling down gasping in ecstasy, he decided to become a shield for the dozen adventurers that were out of commission.

"This is ridiculous." Izuku said to himself as he began to expand several vines around him, quickly intertwining them to make a large net.

"Why do I have to be the only one to come with a plan to protect everyone?" Izuku asked to no one as the net was completed, then he spent a large amount of mana to reinforce it.

"Because Master is a hero?" Chika asked, her whispery voice unheard by the rest of the adventurers, but her words carried enough weight to hit the young Druid.

Izuku didn't know it, but he had talked in his sleep, seeing the academy he wanted to attend, and the title he desired so much. Liza of course didn't know what all that meant, but Chika was quick to take those words to heart, after all, belonging to a hero was quite a lofty goal.

"I… like the way that sounds." Izuku replied with a smile as he raised the net, just as the second wave of cabbages arrived at the gates.

Much to everyone's surprise, the net worked, preventing the passage of a massive quantity of cabbages, preventing more injuries among the already downed adventurers. They were so surprised that no one moved to make a kill of the stuck cabbages, and soon the sheer numbers of the little critters began to move the net.

"Liza! Let's help master!" Chika cried in distress, not wanting her master to carry all the weight.

Izuku almost lost concentration when Chika raised her voice; the high pitched sound was almost like nails on a chalkboard, making him understand why she was so whispery. The Gator-girl was quick to act though, grabbing the end of the net and applying all her strength and weight to prevent it from moving any further, while the harpy took the other end with her talons, furiously flapping her wings to aid in such endeavor.

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR?! PICK UP THE STRAGGLERS!" Izuku shouted to the gawking adventurers, who immediately snapped out of their stupor.

Izuku watched the rest of the adventurers go… just to notice that instead of helping him, they all went their separate ways to rack up separate kill counts. It was madness, stupidity at its worst, and Izuku was tired of it.

"Master!" Chika's horrendous voice rang yet again, this time accompanied by a pained face, obviously she lacked the strength and endurance to keep up with such a monumental task.

"Fine! I'LL DO IT MYSELF!" Izuku shouted as he activated spike growth, turning the net into a wall of extremely long and sharp thorns, skewering all the cabbages in an instant, which made the net fall, full of impaled cabbages.

The sounds of the battle stopped, and everyone turned to see the image of an angry Izuku watching over an impaled army… all the spell casters were wondering what kind of spell he had used, as they couldn't recognize such an effect.

 _Later that afternoon, at the guild hall…_

Izuku found himself baffled yet again; apparently, cabbages were worth good coin, especially this year after such a bountiful harvest, not to mention that the second wave he stopped seemed to be of better quality than the first, earning him more money than what the guild could handle in a single transaction.

"Master, did we do well?" Chika asked, for herself and for Liza, who looked expectantly at the green haired Druid.

"You did fantastic." Izuku replied as he patted the two girls, "Both of you."

Both girls enjoyed the attention like a drug, neither used to getting praised or rewarded; it didn't help that Izuku ordered both fried frog and cabbage stir-fry to reward them. Izuku had to admit that watching Chika and Liza being happy was filling his heart with a sense of accomplishment, their smiles felt like a curative balm that was easing the pain produced by the world around him… he still wished Megumin could stop glaring at him whenever she thought he wasn't looking.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M GETTING NO MONEY?!"

Aqua's screech, while not as harmful as Chika's unfiltered voice, still made Izuku cringe, forcing him to look at the ex-goddess as she continued to shake poor Luna, who was doing her best to avoid her breasts becoming exposed due to the manhandling of her clothes.

For what Izuku managed to understand, Aqua managed to catch mostly lettuce, of poor quality to make it worse; being an ingredient that was not sought, she was offered what amounted a pittance for the bulk of it. By the end of it, she turned to look at the young Druid with nothing but anger… then her face erupted into a cute smile with sparkling eyes.

"Izuku! Izuku!" Aqua called in a cutesy voice, approaching the Druid like he was her favorite person in the world.

Izuku found the scene sickening.

"How much did you get for your cabbages?" Aqua asked, probably trying to sound friendly, not that Izuku didn't notice her greedy eyes. After all, he had a rather large bag full of coins in the table before him.

"Two million." Izuku deadpanned, deciding to come clean and say what he had at hand to test the integrity of the goddess, not that he expected a good outcome from her.

Silence filled the guild hall, every pair of eyes were glued on the Druid at the mention of such an outrageous amount of money in a single pouch; Izuku wasn't being honest though, while the bag in front of him indeed held two million eris, his pocket contained a note for another two, meaning that he had quite enough money to live without trouble for a time. The idea of not working was quickly erased from his mind though, as he needed to get equipment for himself and his girls… he still had trouble referring to Chika and Liza as 'his'.

"Two… two mill…" Aqua seemed to be at a loss for words, and then she tried to hug him, "Izuku! My dear friend! My dear, handsome and…"

"What do you want?" Izuku was not amused in the slightest by the obvious greed in the eyes of the blue haired Arch Priestess.

"Lend me some money." Aqua nearly demanded, although she looked actually distressed.

"No." Izuku deadpanned, obviously not wanting to feed whatever vice pulled at the heart of the selfish goddess.

"Please! You have to help me!" Aqua resorted to wailing now, crying as she clung to Izuku's clothes, making quite the scene in the guild hall with murmurs being quick to start all around, "I took a large loan thinking I would hit it big with the harvest. How was I supposed to know that I'd only catch filthy lettuce?!"

"How is that my problem?" Izuku's question felt like cold water, for he sounded as if uncaring of her problems. Izuku had no intention to help the goddess with her petty problems, she had done more than enough against him and his poor heart to have him not wanting to waste his efforts on her.

"B-because…" Aqua started, quickly showing a fearful face and a hesitant voice, "I already spent all the money, and they want their payment today… and they'll take it in whatever form they see fit if I don't have the money…"

Aqua explained as she turned to look at a group of thugs, one of them was already licking a dagger while leering at her.

Izuku sighed, hating himself for not being able to turn her away even when she didn't deserve any mercy for her behavior, especially because she had denied her help at healing Chika and Liza. Healing Chika and Liza? That gave Izuku an idea.

"Fine, I'll help you." Izuku replied with a sigh, not failing to notice Megumin pouting again; a simple head pat was enough to calm her though.

"YAY! You are the best!" Aqua cried in joy while extending her hands, obviously expecting Izuku to handle his humongous bag of coins to her; Izuku instead motioned for the thugs to approach their table, much to Aqua's confusion.

"You don't trust her, do you?" Megumin asked with a smug face. When she first joined, she had assumed that the Arch Priestess was close to Izuku, but just two days had been enough to prove the contrary. Of course, she wouldn't mind if the blue haired girl were to leave the party, giving her more time with the green haired boy.

"Not in the slightest." Izuku replied, earning a click of the tongue from Aqua, who of course had expected Izuku to be naïve enough to hand her the bag without asking for a specific quantity.

"Are you in need of a loan, kid?" The leader of the thugs asked in an all business voice, obviously noticing the large bag full of coins, "Or did the big spender convince you to help her with her debt?"

Izuku threw a glare at Aqua upon hearing the moniker, wondering just how much trouble the girl had stirred.

"Not exactly." Izuku replied while holding a hand up, demanding to be heard, "She is a member of my party, and I can't have her missing right now. Of course, I can't condone her bad habit of wasting money, so, instead of just paying her debt, I want to buy her debt."

The thugs and Megumin were not expecting that response.

Izuku had read enough to know that people like this worked within the limits of the law, meaning that the loan was given upon signing a magical contract; this magical contract gave them the rights to the winnings and savings of the adventurer until the debt is fully covered, and while they were unable to force the person into unsavory things like thievery or prostitution, it didn't stop the person from falling into such practices to pay the money. Izuku fully intended to make use of said contract to force Aqua to bend to his demands.

"I… we are not against such a thing…" The leader replied after finding his voice, returning to his business visage, "But you must be made aware that this little bitch took a lot of money, and we have to charge a little extra for the transference of the contract."

"How much?" Izuku asked, already feeling a knot forming on his stomach.

"Including the transference cost and the guild fee for the transaction of the magical parchment…" The leader took a moment before delivering the number, "One million, two hundred thousand Eris."

Izuku and Megumin were frozen on the spot as the reality of the size of the debt hit them, even the slaves seemed horrified by such a large number for just a simple debt.

"What?!" Megumin was the first to recover, glaring at the Arch Priestess as if the money had come from her own pocket, "How? On what did you waste all that money?"

"Fine, I'll buy her debt." Izuku replied after a few seconds, standing up to follow the thugs to a private room in the back of the guild, "I'll be getting my money's worth in favors before the day ends anyway."

At Izuku's words, Aqua paled, unable to imagine what kind of favors the green haired Druid would ask of her that would be worth such money.

"Why do I suddenly feel like cattle?" Aqua's question was left unanswered as Megumin focused on her meal, even the slaves were more interested on looking at their plates than paying attention to the ex-goddess.

Little did Aqua know that Izuku's plan included breaking her spirit and pride to get his way.

* * *

 **Magnus:** If you expect this story to follow canon, you are going to be dissappointed, because I intend to go all the paths the original story didn't follow.


	6. Undying Warm Heart

**Magnus:** Here goes the introduction of the next Waifu! And yes, for those of you wondering, the harem route won the poll, of course, Megumin will be the main girl, because I like her the most.

 **Disclaimer:** I'll do my best to make the harem route work, I make no promises though, because this is still an experiment.

 **This chapter has been edited by Vandenbz.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **An Undying Warm Heart**

On a table inside the Adventurer's Guild, a blond Crusader watched events unfold at a neck-breaking pace. It took only a minute, and a few selected words, but the world for a blue haired Arch Priestess had come down crashing and burning.

All because a green haired Druid was angry.

"Was I unclear?" Izuku asked as he continued eating his cabbage stir-fry, "Is there anything you need me to explain?"

Chika and Liza were sure there was no need to explain things anymore, but their master was such a kindhearted man. The way Megumin smiled with such smugness also contributed to the feeling that their master couldn't be in the wrong.

"Why?" Aqua's trembling voice did nothing to sway the heart of the Druid, who felt that his proposal was not only fair, but a good bargain, "Why do you have to be so evil?!"

"Evil?" Izuku asked with a voice that denoted that he was completely against such a notion, "What's evil about my terms?"

Megumin gave a small chuckle, but otherwise said nothing. The Arch Wizard had the firm idea that the Druid wanted to be rid of the troublesome girl; it was so easy to see her either breaking and acceding to his petition followed by leaving due to outrage, or flee from the place not wanting to be anywhere near the Druid due to the harshness of his actions… it was a win-win scenario. Even the fact of seeing him getting his way didn't bother her in the slightest.

Darkness couldn't rein in her emotions though…

"This is incredible!" Darkness shouted as she slammed her fists on the table while standing up, gaining everyone's attention.

"To think that you'll force an Arch Priest of the Axis cult to act against her goddess…" Darkness stated while her shoulders trembled, "With the threat to keep her in a lifetime of forced servitude while suffering poverty and misery!"

The trembling voice and arms, coupled with the intensity of her words, made Chika and Liza tense, getting ready to jump to their master's defense, even when they knew that it would be impossible for them to defeat a fully-fledged Crusader.

"I knew it! It was impossible for my instincts to be wrong!" Darkness nearly shouted as she almost jumped at the green haired boy… falling to her knees while hugging his waist in an easily misunderstood scene, "PLEASE! LET ME JOIN YOUR PARTY!"

While Izuku had forgotten about the proclivities of the blond Crusader, he still couldn't understand what was so evil about his proposal.

The proposal was simple, and even in the favor of the ex-goddess. She just had to choose between using her sacred restoration magic on Chika and Liza, or have 90% of her winnings taken until her debt was paid in full.

"Izuku is not wrong." Megumin finally spoke, with a smug smile that betrayed how much she was enjoying the idea of being left almost alone with the Druid, "The temple charges around three hundred thousand to five hundred thousand eris for the casting of a full restore spell; even if you were to charge maximum price, you'll still be paying less than what you owe. That's a bargain!"

Izuku sent a smile and a nod toward the petite Arch Wizard, not knowing that she was actually making things worse for Aqua, who now was starting to sob.

"If… I do… that…" Aqua began to say between sobs, "My precious… worshipers… will… lose faith!"

Izuku didn't like making a scene, but he wasn't going to relent on his plan; he would be compensated for the debt, one way or another.

"I think you need space to come to a decision, so…" Izuku started while standing up, having finished his food, and making sure his girls were done too; Darkness still held onto him like a drunk to a bottle though, "We'll go shopping while you think about what to do."

Izuku's words were directed to Chika, Liza and Megumin; all three beamed at the idea of getting gifts from the young Druid… then Izuku noticed he couldn't walk.

"You are including me in your group, right?" Darkness asked with hopeful eyes, trying really hard to get accepted… then she found herself wrapped in Izuku's vine whips.

"Sorry." Izuku replied while prying the Crusader from himself, he still found impossible to lift her even with his superior leverage, "Useful party members only."

For a moment, just a moment, Darkness thought that finally she would get what she wanted. She imagined it, a humiliating dressing down, being whipped for being so pushy… maybe even see the whips growing those beautiful thorns!

"Since you aren't a member of this party, you can't come." Izuku's words came as calm, even kind, leaving the Crusader just at the side and a small distance away from him… he didn't retract the vines though; he just cut them, leaving the masochist blond tied in place.

Darkness had been left speechless, it was the first time she had met someone who treated her with cordiality, other than her father. Her shock was so big that she couldn't react until after Izuku, Megumin, and the slaves had left the guild…

"This is not how you use whips!" Darkness finally snapped, unable to decide if this was an act of kindness, or the Druid's way of torturing her, "You didn't even use thorns!"

 _A little bit later, at one of the local blacksmiths…_

"I-It's alright f-for Chika to have this?!" The black Harpy's raspy whispers did nothing to hide her surprise and delight, she never had anything of her own, and now not only did she have pretty clothes, but armor too, "Isn't it too expensive for just Chika?"

Izuku couldn't help but to chuckle at how happy Chika was. It was also a little bit sad to know that such a simple thing was reason to celebrate… he also didn't know that for a slave to be given armor was a declaration of being treasured.

Still, Chika continued to stare at the pieces of armor that had been added to her attire. A chest piece that covered her breasts and back, but didn't impede the flexibility of her abdomen; leggings covered the external part of her legs from the waist to her knees, firmly secured by a thick belt, all of this made of studded leather, properly layered to maximize protection while not sacrificing any agility or mobility, and when the time came, flight capability.

"Don't worry about it, Chika. I want you to stay as safe as possible; that being said, I'd rather you dodge out of harm's way instead of testing the durability of that armor." Izuku replied with a smile, showing how much he cared for the harpy; then he turned to the gator-girl, "How about you, Liza?"

As she flexed her body to test the mobility of her new armor, the gator-girl gave an appreciative nod. Her muscles and scales were hard enough to count as armor against most cutting weapons, and most of the common beasts out there; still, Izuku bought armor made from animal hide for her.

The hardened hide, topped with the coarse furs of the beasts it was made of, provided an excellent buffer against blunt impacts, and an extra layer of defense against piercing blows. Izuku knew for a fact that Liza was not exactly well-versed on evasion, so, he had to assume that covering weaknesses was a must.

The one thing he didn't know was if he should be grateful about or not, was the fact that neither was skilled enough to use a weapon.

"Are you sure I need this?" Megumin asked as she tested the one piece of equipment that Izuku bought for her, "I still think I only need staves and accessories…"

Izuku had bought special soles and shin guards, designed to be placed over her own boots; they didn't look ugly, but the contrast with the rest of her costume was quite obvious.

"The last thing I need is you slipping while casting, or while running away in a scenario where you can't cast." Izuku patiently explained, "Besides, what if a snake decides to bite your feet while you are unable to move?"

"Why did you had to bring that up?!" Megumin almost yelled in response, immediately remembering all the tales of powerful mages being taken down by common vermin due to their lack of foot protection, "I'm going to have nightmares now…"

As she finished, the petite Arch Wizard turned away from the green haired Druid, trying her best to hide her wavering smile and crimson cheeks. The attention and care of the boy was way too delightful to ignore… although it still bothered her that he was just as attentive and caring toward the slaves.

Izuku only chuckled a little bit at her words, knowing that such dangers could be easily counteracted with his skills.

With his latest conquest against the army of cabbages, he had learned a couple of extra skills:

 **Analyze Plant:** The skill allowed him to understand the properties and workings of any plant he consumed or touched for thirty minutes.

 **Modify Plant:** The skill allowed him to add or remove properties from any plant he touches for an hour… or select the properties of plants he created.

He had planned to make his skills better by adding properties to the vines, thorns and berries; the rest of the points were of course spent in making his passives better.

"Isn't Master going to get armor too?" Chika suddenly asked, eyeing the young Druid with worry, "Master needs to be protected too!"

Chika's raspy whispers were followed by a shaky wing pointing to a massive set of plate armor; it was obvious that she wanted him to be as safe as possible… Liza furiously nodding seemed to confirm that too.

"I do intend to get some armor…" Izuku replied, trying to make the girls feel better, for even Megumin seemed to want to see him clad in some form of protective gear, "But plate… well…"

Izuku was at a loss of words… he just couldn't picture himself donning such a massive amount of metal, and yet, he feared that his bark skin would end up failing him at the most critical moment.

"Oh right!" Megumin suddenly interrupted, "Druids can't use metal equipment. You may want to check leather and scale armors."

Megumin's intervention earned her another head-pat from the green haired teen.

"Actually…" Izuku started his reply with a smile, and rather curiosity on his eyes, "I would like to find something made with Iron Wood or Bark."

The last words were directed to the blacksmith, who didn't look pleased in the slightest…

"Do I look like an elven woodcarver?" The words of the tall balding man were rather cold, although not as much due to the money he had gotten by charging extra for selling armor to a couple of demi-human slaves.

 _Outside an odd looking shop, some time later…_

Izuku and the girls looked at the shop before them with some skepticism.

After asking around the blacksmiths and shops on the main road of the town, he had gotten directions to this secluded shop. According to rumors, the owner was an eccentric woman who was known for buying pretty much anything that was not ordinary, even if it was useless; that included rare equipment and magic items.

"I don't think we'll find a full set of armor here…" Megumin stated as she looked through the large window, seeing a lot of trinkets and rather mundane looking items, "I think I see a couple of staves and orbs though."

"It's ok; I don't need a full set of armor." Izuku immediately replied while opening the door to the shop, "Getting you a few accessories may be a good idea."

"What do you mean by…?" Megumin's question was quickly forgotten as her immature mind caught fire due to a sudden thought, "Wait! Accessories?! Like a ring?!"

"Why did you directly jump to a ring?" Izuku asked as he entered and held the door open for Megumin and the slave girls, "Are you trying to tell me something?"

Izuku had taken to teasing the petite Arch Wizard, not because he wanted to incite something from her, but because he knew that by pushing such notions, she would be the one to take a defensive stance and postpone any romantic involvement.

"Rings are comfortable and easy to wear." Megumin replied with a deep crimson blush, "Don't get the wrong idea!"

Before Izuku could say something to calm down his petite companion, they heard steps coming from deep within the shop.

"Hello!" A young and beautiful woman appeared from behind a curtain that served as a door of sorts to the back of the shop, "Can I help you with something?"

The young woman had a face that spoke of kindness, brown eyes that seemed to radiate hopes and dreams and a caring smile, long brown hair cascaded all the way to her lower back with bangs showing at her shoulders, and a small portion covering her right eye; the ahoge at the top of her head seemed to try to give her a cute aura, which contrasted against how sexy her ample breasts made her look.

Izuku made sure to keep his eyes on her face as much as possible, not that he hasn't noticed her… purple robe with yellow trim.

"Yes." Izuku managed to reply, although his voice quivered just enough for Megumin to pout, "We are looking for some magical accessories and items made of Iron Wood or Bark."

"Well, if you expect to find something made from Iron Wood…" The beautiful woman started, but then stopped when her eyes finally landed on the demi-human girls… especially on Chika.

"IT'S A BLACK HARPY!" The woman suddenly exclaimed… although she didn't sound upset.

"EEEKKKKK!" Chika's startled scream was terrible enough to make Megumin fall to her knees while covering her ears, and even make one of the windows crack, but it didn't seem to bother the now jumpy woman.

Izuku had been frozen by the sudden reaction, especially when the harpy jumped behind him for protection… that had the unintended consequence of having the beautiful woman being way too close for comfort.

"Those feathers are so beautiful! They will make beautiful accessories and cloaks!" The woman began to ramble, scaring the green haired Druid out of his mind, not to mention making Chika shiver in horror at the idea of having her feathers puckered, "Please sell them to me… when they fall due to plumage changing, of course."

"Please…" Izuku barely was able to speak, "Some space…"

Izuku's plea came in the face of having such beautiful woman being nearly on top of him, something he wasn't ready to deal with; fortunately, Liza was quick to grab the woman by the back of her collar, lift her, and place her a couple of meters away.

"Thanks, Liza." Izuku's words were enough for the gator-girl to wave her tail in obvious happiness, even when her face remained as stoic as ever, "Can we do business now, miss…?"

Far from being upset at the sudden treatment, the beautiful young woman smiled so brightly that Megumin couldn't help but to pout even harder.

"Right, sorry." The young woman apologized for her rudeness with a polite bow… making it clear for Izuku that bras didn't exist in this world, "My name is Wiz; welcome to my magic shop!"

 _Meanwhile, at the Guild Hall…_

"This is unbelievable…" Darkness muttered as she witnessed the Arch Priestess going through several stages of panic and distress, "To make her suffer like this… even from a distance…"

The very first thing Aqua tried when Izuku had left the guild was to approach the loaners to ask for more money… she had to learn the hard way that she would not able to take on a new loan until the last one was paid in full.

"Having her pride and dignity stolen…" Darkness continued her muttering while watching the blue haired girl wail in absolute despair, "The tears… the sobs…"

Aqua's second attempt was to call upon the entirety of her sect, not even bothering to hide that she was the actual goddess of the Axis cult… although everyone in the vicinity just looked at her like she was delusional.

After her long incantation, and wasting a rather massive amount of mana, she turned toward the nearest priest she could see. With a bright smile, and the confidence brought by being a divine figure, she had demanded monetary help to free herself from her woes… she was faced with the fact that her religion consisted of the least amount of followers, and thus, fewer active priests.

The Eris priest had admonished her for calling herself a goddess, but still left her a couple of coins as a show of benevolence.

"I can't take it anymore!" Darkness finally shouted while slamming her hands on the table, "I NEED TO BE IN HIS PARTY!"

While Darkness was… daydreaming… about the possibilities of being in the party of a certain green haired Druid, Aqua had gone to the reception desk in a desperate move.

"THERE HAS TO BE SOME EASY AND FAST QUEST THAT AWARDS A MILLION ERIS!" Aqua screeched as she manhandled Luna's dress, much to the distress of the counter lady, and the absolute delight of the male adventurers, "THERE HAS TO! THERE IS NO WAY I'M BECOMING THE SLAVE OF THAT SIMPLETON!"

"Please calm down!" Luna tried her best to remain polite, calling on all her years of dealing with weird adventurers, "The best I can offer you are fetch quests, or if you get enough party members, a giant toad hunt."

Luna's reply only brought more tears to the ex-goddess as she knew it would be impossible for her to earn enough money that way.

Fetch quests, the ones that could be done solo, rarely awarded more than a hundred eris after completion, and while giant toad bounties ranked up in the thousands, hunting such prey required a party, and that meant dividing the money between everyone, a detriment that worked against her needs.

"Aqua…" Darkness called as she placed a hand on the shoulder of the distressed ex-goddess, earning her attention, "There are actually two ways for you to get out of this predicament."

"R-really?" Aqua asked, full of hope and tears.

"Yes, indeed." Darkness replied with a serious face, "But for me to reveal them, you need to register me in your party."

 _About an hour later_ _…_

Izuku and his group entered the Guild Hall with satisfied smiles and new items; Megumin looked really proud of her new necklace, an enchanted item that helped her recover mana at an increased rate… of five percent, while Izuku held a walking cane made of a rather shiny wood.

At least he had learned that anything named 'Iron Wood' was false, as only the bark was workable.

Along with the cane, he had also acquired new clothes. Leather boots, linen pants and a green tunic were covered by a rather cozy-looking hooded robe, made of some elven fabric that the shop owner, Wiz, couldn't remember the name of; it wasn't cheap, but Izuku was instantly drawn to the beautiful vibrant green of the piece of clothing, and how it gave off an emerald shine when hit by the light in the right places.

It wasn't made for stealth, he supposed, but it did fit his personality and role as a Druid, who didn't feel the need to hide.

"Well, that went well." Izuku said as he and his entourage walked to their table.

"It certainly was a good shopping trip." Megumin added as she caressed her piece of jewelry; she could have gotten a ring, but the idea made her blush so profusely that she believed she would faint if Izuku ever placed the metal band on her finger.

"Master looks so handsome!" Chika added with her raspy whispers, being seconded by a furious nodding from Liza.

"You think so?" Izuku asked while scratching the back of his head, clearly blushing at the praise… then he felt the penetrating stares, and none were from the petite Arch Wizard, "Why is everyone looking at us like that?"

"You got a pair of slaves in effective armor." Megumin replied with a grin, obviously taking a little bit of pleasure at seeing how worried Izuku looked, "What else did you expect?"

Megumin had decided to not stop Izuku on his quest to see the demi-humans safe and happy; she knew he would either succeed or fail, and would have to rely on her afterwards. Demi-humans were slaves for a reason, and as much as it pained the young Druid, he won't be able to change the minds of the people after so many centuries of ingrained culture.

Izuku, for his part, wouldn't give up; demi-humans were still people, and they could learn to be their own people without being at odds with humanity, or the other favored races. And if that didn't happen naturally, he guessed that after defeating the Devil King he could ask for his own country, or a small island where he could have a strong population of demi-humans.

"Whatever." Izuku finally stated with a shrug, "It's time to cash in."

Walking to their table, deliberately slow, they could see both Aqua and the Crusader sitting there; one had eyes full of tears, the other a serene expression… as if she had gotten what she wanted.

"Why are you still here?" Megumin asked the blond Crusader, surprised that such a character was so stubborn; she also didn't fail to notice Chika hiding behind Izuku's back, much less the boy taking a protective stance.

"Well…" Darkness scratched her chin with a sheepish smile, "No one has kicked me out, so…"

Aqua wanted to strangle the Crusader. Not only was this female Crusader from a different religion, she had been tricked by her too!

"I guess is not a crime to sit at a table inside the Guild…" Izuku stated, maintaining his defensive stance in front of Chika, while smiling at Liza, who had taken a ready position to protect the petite Arch Wizard, "So, as long as you can remain civil toward my dear friends, I won't demand you to leave."

Aqua was about to have a mental breakdown.

Darkness indeed had suggestions to pay the debt, but her suggestions were all bad. On one hand, she had explained that asking for a private room to perform the restoration spell would save her reputation while also fulfilling the contract conditions, although that meant paying a fee for the room. Her second suggestion? Put a price to her dignity and see if any of the males would pay the price… or a lot of them.

"So…" Izuku's voice washed over the blue haired Arch Priestess, making her skin crawl at how kind and caring he sounded, how sickening it was to feel his misguided sense of justice fill the hall, "Did you come up with a decision?"

Aqua was fully aware that the words were directed at her; she also knew that now she had to decide between betraying her followers or work her ass off…

"Fine!" Aqua finally screamed, making Izuku and Megumin flinch, "I only have to restore these two, right? No need for theatrics or public humiliation, right? It can even be a single cast as long as both get restored, RIGHT?!"

"Yes…" Izuku replied after a moment to collect himself, "You are making a scene out of this though."

"FINE!" Aqua screamed once more, and then made her staff appear on her hand, her sacred cloth was now easy to see due to her beautiful glow; and then she pointed the staff toward the slave-girls, "Sacred Full Restoration!"

The spell was thrown without fanfare or any special speech; Aqua just wanted to be done with it, and move on to finally get money for her… needs.

While Izuku could tell that the ex-goddess didn't want to comply, the effects of the spell were clear and quite fast to take effect. Chika and Liza were surrounded by light, and rather soon, their bodies were restored.

"Uwo?" Chika was utterly confused at seeing little thumb-claws growing were her wings bent, as if meant to be used like human thumbs against the wing to be able to grip things… then she felt something growing out of her lower back, "EEEEEPPPPPP!"

A new extra mound of flesh grew from the lower back of the black harpy, and was quickly covered in new feathers, then, a group of longer and stronger feathers grew, forming a beautiful jet black tail. Chika began to spin in place to try to catch a better look of her new appendage, letting out adorable sounds that reflected her wonder and curiosity, especially when the tail twitched and moved.

Liza was less obvious. She only stuck out her newly formed tongue, and used it to taste-clean her teeth.

"Me… speak…" Liza tried to use her voice, with obvious effort due to the long amount of time spent without it, "Again!"

Izuku wisely decided not to mention how primitive her speech was, instead nodding her way with an encouraging smile.

"Well, you did it!" Izuku said to the blue haired girl, showing both his cute smile and the magic parchment, "The contract is fulfilled; there is no more debt for you."

As Izuku finished his words, the magical contract caught fire in blue flames, quickly turning to ashes, while not burning anything else. Aqua was now free, but she felt somewhat dirty…

"This isn't fair…" Aqua whispered, just loud enough for those closest to her to listen, "I shouldn't have gone through with this…"

As she finished, a bottle was placed right before her face. Aqua blinked a couple of times, unable to believe her eyes at the sight gracing her. It was the fancy wine she had spent all that money on!

"Here, a little offering of gratitude." Izuku said, smiling like the good-natured idiot he was, with a pouting Megumin standing by his side, and two demi-humans looking at their master as if he were the _true_ god in the room, "A benevolent Goddess should always use her powers to make life better, to heal the wounded and the sick, and to stop injustice whenever it happens. If you remember this; I will make sure to remember to give proper offerings in return."

Aqua was quick to hug the bottle; tears flowing from her eyes denoted how much she loved this gift, as well as the fear of it being taken away on a whim.

"You better take your time drinking it." Megumin was quick to say, caressing her necklace to remind herself that she had a much better gift, "It was quite expensive."

Aqua knew very well how expensive it was; Undine's Blood, as the wine was called, was not only exquisite, but hard to get, and costly…

"I know, right?" Izuku said with a laugh, still finding it worth the price if it got the goddess in the right mindset, "I mean, two thousand eris for a wine made of aqua berries?"

Aqua was struck dumb by those words…

"Two…" Aqua's voice failed to carry over the sound of her head forming a headache, that price couldn't be right! "Two… thousand?"

"As I said, expensive." Megumin replied, failing to notice the distraught face on the Arch Priestess, "Your Good Berries are much better than aqua berries; you should try to make wine with them."

As Megumin directed her words to a now pondering Druid, Aqua began to wonder why she had believed the merchant when he said that the proper price for each bottle was two hundred thousand eris… then she finally understood that her entire tribulation was caused by five overpriced bottles of wine…

"Excuse me!" Luna's voice made the conversation stop, making everyone look at the busty counter woman, "I couldn't help but notice that your party used a really high level holy spell…"

For the first time since they met, Izuku and Aqua shared the same fear; for a moment, both believed that they would be called forward by some sort of inquisitorial committee to answer for using holy magic to restore demi-humans… of course, Izuku was more than ready to make a quick escape with Megumin and his girls… wait, his girls?

"There is a recently posted quest that's urgent, but no one seems to want to take it." Luna began to explain, failing to notice how the group seemed to relax at her wording, "There have been reports of strange lights being seen at the graveyard; nothing bad has happened and there is no evidence of necromancy being performed to be found during day hours. Still, the lesser nobles and merchants are feeling nervous, and have demanded that an investigation team be formed and dispatched to the site."

Confused stares were directed at the counter lady, who could easily guess that no one in the party could tell why she was talking to them in the first place… honestly, she was expecting them to take the bait and be the first to check the site; if there was nothing bad, then that was it, but if they ended up missing in action, that would be useful enough to ask for the royal guards to step in.

"The current reward is of one million eris just for checking the site and reporting back the reason for this phenomenon." Luna half-explained, but quickly changed gears upon noticing the Druid giving her an inquisitive stare, "Also, the guild is ready to pay extra, accordingly to any danger faced during the expedition."

 _Later that night, at the graveyard…_

It didn't came as a surprise that Aqua would accept the request so easily once the reward was made known, much less that she wanted to keep most of the reward to herself. Izuku had to admit that at least she had an explanation for her demand… a weak one, but an explanation nonetheless.

"This doesn't make sense." Izuku finally voiced, taking a glance back in the direction of the blue haired Arch Priestess.

"It does!" Aqua huffed, fully recovered from her previous humiliation, "If this is the result of necromancy or some undead strolling around, I'll do all the work!"

Aqua was trying to stay strong, but the deadpan look on the faces of her companions was rather unsettling.

"Of course I'm giving you a portion of the reward just by escorting me…" Aqua began to falter under the heavy stares, "And, if by chance is something else… well… we'll evenly distribute the reward as usual…"

Aqua was quite close to crying as the stares continued.

"What our leader meant…" Megumin started, earning a startled reaction from the blue haired girl.

"Since when he is the leader?!" Aqua's shout was completely ignored as Megumin continued.

"… is what are YOU doing here?" Megumin finished as she pointed her tiny finger toward a certain blond Crusader.

"As a Crusader of Eris, I cannot ignore such claims over hallowed ground." Darkness answered like a duty-bound knight… just to instantly break under the stares of the party members, "Also… Aqua registered me as an official party member. It is a pleasure to be in your party!"

"I don't think Master approves…" Chika softly said, eyeing the Crusader with caution.

"Blue hair… dummy…" Liza threw in, obviously not afraid to voice her opinion.

"Nobody asked you!" Aqua shouted as she kicked the leg of the gator-girl… just to find that said leg was harder than the tombstones around them, "OWIE!"

"Fine, you can stay." Izuku said with a tired sigh, understanding that it would be detrimental to start an argument in the middle of a quest; however, he moved to be between Darkness and the trio of Megumin, Chika and Liza, "As long as you don't try to harm those important to me."

Megumin couldn't help but blush at the inclusion of her person among those important to Izuku… she decided that she could live with the demi-humans included… it was common for nobles and heroes to have multiple partners after all.

"Don't worry, as my party members, it is my duty to protect all of you from harm. No matter how shameful it is for me to actually protect the enemy of my goddess… or a heathen who doesn't even speak her name with respect…" Darkness' speech was quickly deteriorating, and soon she was shivering in expectation of perverted things to come, "Of course… you are free to remind me of my place with those sexy thorny whips of yours…"

As Darkness continued to babble about perverted things, and Aqua wailed about a possible broken toe and barbarians made of steel, Izuku made vines appear, and quite quickly, some of these covered the mouths of both rambling girls; they were instantly frozen by the rather serious look on his eyes.

"Quiet you two!" Izuku chastised them with a low voice, "Something is happening."

Just as Izuku finished, the rest of the party began to notice a change in the atmosphere… then the chanting began.

" **Oh, spirits of those who couldn't pass onto the afterlife. Lost souls of those who died before their time…"**

The voice was powerful, yet gentle; it was definitively female though.

"There is a lot of mana in the air…" Izuku reported as he began to walk toward the voice, taking careful steps to avoid placing his team in unnecessary danger, "Megumin?"

" **Heed my call and listen to my voice. Seek the light and enter the gates of eternity…"**

The voice continued the chanting, and magic circles were visible in the air above an obelisk that seemed to mark the very center of the graveyard.

"It is a spell no doubt. High level too…" Megumin replied while focusing on the incantation of the voice, "It's not an attack spell though."

As they got closer, the obelisk became perfectly visible, just like the woman that was finishing her spell.

" **Soul Release! BANISH!"**

As she finished her incantation, the circle in the air became really bright, and then a magic circle in the ground resonated with it. Dozens of souls became visible to the naked eye thanks to the spell, and all of them darted through the circle, as if ascending to heaven.

Izuku finally recognized the spellcaster.

"Wiz?!" Izuku's outburst got the attention of the woman, who instantly looked at the assembled party of adventurers.

For a moment, it seemed as if a big confrontation was about to break loose. The spell witnessed was part of the Necromancy school of magic, and it had been cast at a rather high level too, which means that by all rights, the woman before her was a Necromancer herself; that alone was enough to warrant, at the very least, a visit to the local inquisitorial committee.

"Ah! Izuku and Megumin!" Wiz greeted back once she recognized two of the adventurers in the group, happily walking toward them with no visible sign of being on guard, or even bothered by their presence, "What are you… Oh my! Those feathers look even more beautiful now!"

And once again, the shop owner was trying to reach for the distressed harpy…

"FFUUUEEEEE!" Chika was terrified, unable to imagine any human, other than her dear master, touching her plumage without malicious intent, so, she backed away.

"No touching!" Liza said as she picked the ditzy shop keeper by the collar of her clothes yet again, "Only master touch!"

"But they are so beautiful! So fluffy!" Wiz rambled as she flailed her arms hopelessly while trying to reach for the bird-girl.

"So…" Megumin was the first to find her voice, calling to attention, and failing to hide her smile when Izuku looked solely at her, "That's it? Someone making an unrequested exorcism?"

"It seems so." Izuku seemed just as confused, if also relieved, as he wasn't sure his skills would be enough to deal with a horde of undead, "But if the graveyard needed an exorcism, why not post it in the guild hall as a quest?"

Izuku's question was valid, although the answer came from an unlikely source.

"Actually…" Darkness' voice earned attention, a lot of it, "These kinds of rituals are meant to be performed by the clerics of the Eris Church on a regular basis… but… come to think of it… we hadn't had a proper Exorcist in almost a year…"

The shame in Darkness' voice wasn't mired with pleasure for once, as it seemed that she was genuinely sorry for having to report such a lack of proper staff from her religion.

"Well, we got an explanation and a reason." Izuku happily said, content with the knowledge that the quest was completed, nothing bad had happened, and people could breath easily at night now, "We can go home now and report early in the morning."

Izuku's declaration was met with nodding from everyone… well, almost everyone.

"No, not yet…" Aqua's voice sounded rather ominous, and full of anger, "There is still an exorcism to be performed…"

"What? Why?" Megumin asked as she looked around, not noticing any shift in the ambient mana that could indicate restless souls, "Where is the undead?"

Aqua's fist was immediately charged with her divine fury, her blazing eyes were solely focused on the still-immobilized shop keeper.

"Right among us!" Aqua shouted as she leaped at Wiz… just to be enveloped in vines, canceling her attack, and leaving her unable to even struggle, "IZUKU! WHY?!"

"Just shut up and stop being delusional." Izuku replied as he began to walk to the exit of the graveyard, being closely followed by those important to him, and keeping Aqua and Darkness a little bit farther away to prevent harm to his hearing, "Attacking Wiz out of the blue like that."

Megumin looked at Izuku with questioning eyes for a moment, but after receiving a mischievous wink, she couldn't help but to wink in return. Both knew very well that the ditzy shopkeeper was undead; Megumin had felt her mana, how unnatural it was, while Izuku had been able to notice the lack of a heartbeat and the abnormal lack of heat of her body.

They didn't know what kind of undead she was, but they were sure of something, she wasn't evil, and her shop had quite the variety of items that piqued their interest.

* * *

 **Magnus:** I refuse to follow canon. I refuse so hard that next chapter Izuku will make a special confession to Megumin!


	7. Out of This World

**Magnus:** Time for an update! And a confession that will have important consequences.

 **Disclaimer:** Humans change according to their circumstances; so, why wouldn't Izuku change from his canon self when faced against the world of KonoSuba?

 **Edition:** This chapter was Beta-ed by Vandenbz.

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **Out of this World**

A month had passed since Chika and Liza got their bodies restored, and in that time, Izuku had left an impression on the people he dealt with.

Thanks to continuous support and encouragement, Chika had learned how to properly fly. It took her a lot of tries to even learn how to steer, leading to clumsy landings and painful collisions, but with the directions of the green haired Druid, she managed to do what many assumed impossible. Izuku was still warned by Luna to forbid the Black Harpy from flying anywhere nearby the church of Eris.

Liza had shown little change though.

The Gator-Girl had been as stoic as ever, following Izuku like a shadow, offering help whenever brute force was needed, but little else. Her speech pattern had remained largely unchanged, showing trouble in articulating complex ideas, and yet not voicing a single complaint. The only visible show of emotion was the movement of her tail, something that Izuku managed to get a basic understanding of… which led to preventing the death of the adventurer named Dust, who after way too many drinks tried to hit on her and her large breasts.

Honestly, Liza wasn't even paying attention… until the drunken adventurer tried to reach for things that only belonged to her dear master. That's when her tail tensed, and that's when Izuku stepped between the two to prevent the removal of a head.

As for his party members… they discovered that the green-haired Druid was a very hard worker… of the unappreciated variety…

"This is not what I expected." Darkness sighed as she came to the realization that now she was trapped, "Even when it is what I wanted…"

When the perverted Crusader joined the party, she expected to be on the receiving end of all kinds of attacks and mistreatment. She expected Izuku to be like any other young male, and try to seduce her; to make use of his beautiful thorny whips to attack her until she surrendered her body; to use her as a meat shield on the battlefield.

Instead the boy was kind, caring and considerate.

She had revealed to the party her noble-born status, and while she was happy that such information didn't change the dynamics of the group, it irked her that Izuku had made it very clear that her station should never be abused.

She couldn't leave the party though.

Her dream as a Crusader was as generic as it was virtuous. She wanted to serve and protect someone of pure heart and heavenly disposition, to be the shield of someone who embodied the ideals of love, devotion and compassion. A Symbol of Light.

She just never expected her dream to take the shape of a Druid.

"This is… so unfair." Darkness muttered as she indulged in her newfound pastime of drinking beer.

She wasn't getting hammered; she just needed to numb her mind so she didn't have to suffer her conflicting emotions.

Izuku had called her a 'Tank', a role he described as the one who takes all the aggression of their enemies, making them forget that the rest of the party existed, thus, ensuring everyone else's survival. She had enjoyed the idea, and loved the theory behind the reasoning, as such strategy was commonplace among adventurers, and would give plenty of opportunity for the two spellcasters of the group to rain death on the monsters, with the chance of some delightful friendly fire. In practice, however…

"They should allow the enemies to reach me…" Darkness muttered before taking another sip.

Turns out, Izuku was a master tactician. Dozens of battles had been won by having the enemies target Darkness first, and not a single time had an enemy being able to even try to hit her. Much to her increasing annoyance, Izuku was getting better at dispatching large groups of enemies with spikes that suddenly shot from below the charging hordes, or restraining truly large monsters with dozens of thorny vines, leaving the creatures as perfect targets for their petite Crimson Demon companion.

Darkness had yet to even try to use her sword in combat; not that she was lacking EXP gains, or money, as Izuku insisted on properly dividing the rewards, her noble status notwithstanding.

Darkness realized that, at the very least, she was achieving one of her dreams… unlike her current companion.

"Everything hurts…" Aqua complained, in some misguided hope of getting heard and consoled, "Stupid Izuku. Why does he insist on working me to the bone five days a week?!"

Aqua had found Izuku's hardworking habits to be, inhumane. For five days he would take fetch quests in the mornings, and then extermination quests in the afternoon. Both types were of course local requests, always aimed to be completed within reasonable distance of the town, and within reasonable difficulty levels; Wyverns, Griffins and Manticores were avoided, but packs of direwolves, bands of goblins, and even vermin hunting in the sewers was taken, much to the horror of the blue-haired Arch Priestess.

"Well, it's not like he is forcing you to go on every quest." Darkness' words made the ex-goddess flinch, "He told you long ago that if it was too much work for you, you could simply not go; or find an easier job on your own."

Aqua grimaced at her current options.

She hated being dragged into caves, through thick forests, walking through endless plains, and worst of all, having to walk inside the foul sewer system. Her problem was that she needed the money to sustain her vices and lifestyle.

She had been able to afford a room at the inn, and couldn't face the idea of returning to the stables. This was only possible thanks to the money she earned at a regular pace. The downside was that Izuku divided the monetary rewards based on usefulness, meaning that she was getting the least amount of it from the entire party.

Finding a job would mean that she would have to work from early in the morning until very late, making barely any money, but staying away from walking so much and being exposed to danger, or worse still, lengthy lectures about being a more active party member. All because she was stingy with her spells.

"I'm not going to start working like a lowly commoner!" Aqua retorted, although she didn't raise her voice, "And I'm not wasting my sacred magic by blessing his slaves."

"Neither did you heal the wounded villagers we aided on our way back in the last quest." Darkness added, trying to pick a small fight with Aqua to get an insult or two, a habit picked due to the lack of mistreatment from the green-haired Druid, "Or to bless me, Megumin or Izuku during all these quests."

"Shut up! You barbaric meat shield!" Aqua finally shouted, earning a smile from the masochistic Crusader, "If that failure of a Hero is really that smart, then why isn't he getting more money? He is just a pervert trying to surround himself with pretty girls!"

Behind her desk, Luna frowned at the loud voice of the Arch Priestess. Izuku and his party had been completing quests at an astounding rate, getting more work done that several parties of good reputation put together. While it had become a commonly heard gossip that the green-haired leader enjoyed the attentions of young girls, Luna knew it wasn't because he was throwing money at them.

Much to her despair, Izuku had commissioned a heavy duty carriage.

Luna knew she was partially to blame. The young Druid had asked first for land to own, or a building to purchase and turn it into a base of operations, which the Guild Attendant assumed would be turned into some sort of Druidic Groove.

Seeing his disappointment when she informed him that purchasing land wasn't possible without a nobility title, and that owning buildings was limited to civilian housing or Guild-approved businesses (With a rather high tax attached), was rather heartbreaking for her. The request for the carriage nearly drove her to tears though.

Izuku, while earning monikers like 'Slave Driver' and 'Harem collector', had become famous for completing quests. This had earned this branch of the Guild some handsome bonuses from the crown. This also meant, for those with a minimum of intellect and common sense, that once he was gone, said bonuses would disappear as well. Unfortunately, her only option was to stall for time by having the carriage construction being delayed…

A tactic that the Dwarves had refused.

The fact that one of the Generals of the Devil King had moved to a close fortress only made things worse. The only ones posting quests now were either scholars or irresponsible lesser nobles, leading to Izuku being the only reliable source of completed quests. A source about to disappear.

 _Meanwhile_ _…_

"EXPLOSION!"

 **BOOM!**

As the ruins of the fort were subjected to the magic of the petite Arch Wizard, Izuku looked at the damage done while trying to understand Megumin's ambition. It wasn't just a desire to destroy, nor her way to scream 'I am here!'

She wasn't like Bakugo.

"That felt good!" Megumin exclaimed while dropping backwards, being immediately caught by her green-haired crush.

She had come to terms with the idea of crushing after her first friend and party leader. She had come to terms with the idea that the boy was too much of a good catch to let him go. While not being conventionally handsome or filthy rich, he was cute, caring and very able to provide everything a girl really needed.

Her sour and traumatic experiences while traveling from her village to Axel had taught her to appreciate steady supplies of food and water, as well as cherish proper shelter. While she never expected to become rich and be surrounded by luxury, having no immediate needs was a rather big jump from her days at the academy.

"Are you alright?" Izuku asked with caring eyes and voice, all while guiding his petite companion to rest her head on his lap, "You really need to upgrade your mana reserves before powering up your favorite spell."

Megumin giggled at his words, obviously thinking that this boy adored being there for her

"Why would I?" Megumin threw her smuggest grin, an action that Izuku found adorable, doubly so since she had agreed to not use her eyepatch anymore, "You are going to always be there for me."

In the background, both Chika and Liza seemed to agree. Their benevolent master was going to always be there for them, keeping them safe and happy.

"I don't know about that." Izuku's reply caught the three girls by surprise, "I'm going back home once I defeat the Devil King. I'm not sure I can take you with me."

Izuku's dream was no secret.

Agreeing to Megumin's idea to make wine with his Good Berries had led to an embarrassing moment where Izuku had spilled how much he had been hurt by his idolized hero, and how he intended to return one day to show everyone that the little useless Izuku was now strong enough to be a hero too.

The part of not being able to take anyone with him was new though.

"WHAT?!" Megumin shrieked, unable to contain her outrage; Chika and Liza were visibly startled, although that was due to the idea of being left behind, "Why?"

"Because…" Izuku seemed to struggle to find an answer, he certainly looked as if regretting his choice of words already, "My homeland is… way too far away from here."

Izuku's struggle didn't come from not wanting to say the truth, it came from wanting to explain everything, and have proper friends. Worse still, he was growing fond of the petite Arch Wizard, and awfully attached to Chika and Liza. Unlike other people of his age back home, these three were adamant on hearing him, appreciating his intellect, and his drive to keep everyone safe.

His strategies during extermination quests had been proof of this. With Chika being a surprisingly stealthy scout, and Liza having the potential to be an extraordinary heavy hitter, they had been able to set ambushes and traps, lure monsters out of their territories, and deal with them with minimal effort or risk.

It was becoming hard to not letting all that praise go to his head.

"Chika will follow master!" Chika barely managed to not raise her voice, finding the idea of being abandoned intolerable, "Anywhere Master goes, Chika will be there!"

Liza furiously nodded, obviously sharing the same mindset. The Black Harpy was smart, smarter than she should be, that's why she knew that being given to another master was a big no. The first thing that would happen to her if she was given to someone else would be a thorough mutilation, and that was the least of the horrors awaiting her. For the Gator-Girl, the idea of being dumped yet again into a cold cage with no food was more than enough to cling to her kind Master with all her strength, let alone her strong love for him.

Izuku had yet to become aware of the feelings that the demi-human girls had for him.

"We will follow you to the end of the world." Megumin's words were actually sweet, if a little bit pushy, as she wasn't going to let him escape, "Besides, you can produce food!"

"Will you follow me beyond this world?" Izuku's reply was given with a pained smile, then he signaled for his girls to sit by his side.

"Megumin, Chika, Liza." Izuku spoke the names with the conveyed intention of having their full attention, "I come from a different world. One where there are no job classes, and people are born with special powers that are badges of status."

The silence that followed his words of truth was short-lived, as Megumin was rather quick to let out a playful chuckle.

"Is that your backstory?" Megumin's question wasn't an attack; her peers back at her village were famous for coming up with wild tales for their origins, and it was common for her people to believe others would do the same, "Is that how you explain your unusual nature magic? You are a Druid from another world?"

Izuku couldn't even begin to be angry at not being believed; Megumin's accepting smile, and obvious delight, was actually infectious.

"Chika believes Master!" The Black Harpy was quick to show her loyalty, even if her faith was questionable, "Master is too kind for this world!"

Liza didn't show any signs of belief or disbelief; the Gator-Girl considered herself lucky enough to have such a kind Master, so, his origins were unimportant to her.

"Would you believe me, if I show you proof?" Izuku's question made the chuckles stop, although Megumin's playful eyes kept their shine.

"You have proof?!" Megumin's voice denoted that she had done this before; perhaps she herself had fabricated proof to some of her claims, or had judged fabricated proof by her peers in the past?

Izuku nodded, and then reached for the side bag below his robes. He knew that saying things wouldn't be enough; he knew that showing simple trinkets from his world could be chalked up to magic artifacts. There was only one way to convince an educated spellcaster like Megumin…

Otherworldly knowledge.

"Here, I'll show you knowledge from my world." Izuku announced as he re-positioned the petite girl, making her lean against his chest, and looking at the objects on his hands.

It was a notebook and a pen.

Megumin knew the items; she had used items like those… just… different.

The notebook was made of a material that was obviously paper, but the quality of the paper was impossibly high for something so mundane, and yet it wasn't like the parchment used for spellbooks. The pen, however, was made of a material she had never seen before (plastic), and the point was too tiny to suck in the ink.

"This is my notebook on Chemistry." Izuku started, throwing in a word that immediately sounded alien to the Arch Wizard, which was surprising on its own, "Chemistry is the science that studies the composition of all matter, its structure, and reactions in…"

For the next hour, Izuku began to explain to the Crimson Demon the basics of Chemistry, speaking of the blocks of reality, called atoms, and how they linked with each other to compose all matter; then he spoke of the basic states of all matter, and how the change of phase affects the molecular structure of the materials.

Megumin was speechless, taking in words and concepts that went against the magical principles she had committed to heart and memory; worse still, as Izuku continued his lengthy explanation, she had seen the writing in which these otherworldly teachings were recorded, made of symbols completely alien to her, impossibly so, as she was well versed in all the languages of the continent, but only those in use and dead tongues.

The symbols weren't just random scribbles, they were orderly, carefully made, showing repetition and consistency, doubly so as the young Druid scribbled translations in common. She was looking at a legit language she had never seen before, a language that was NOT recorded in the great library at her village. Knowledge that was NOT recorded anywhere in this world.

Izuku had to stop as he was getting into the basics of thermodynamics when he noticed that the petite girl was looking at his face, so intently that he began to turn red.

"Let me see your adventurer card." Megumin all but demanded.

While the demi-humans had been left out of the conversation due to the ridiculous complexity of whatever their master was saying, Megumin had decided to make a final test.

The young Druid could have found the notebook in some kind of ruins; it could be ancient knowledge of a lost civilization that had been at the side of an artifact that taught him the language. One thing was to have this knowledge, another is to be able to use said knowledge.

"Here it is." Izuku had handed over the identification without even a hint of hesitation, as if he already knew this was going to happen.

Megumin didn't lose any time and went directly for the skills.

 **Vine Whip** **– Bark Skin – Good** **Berry** **– Dancing Lights -** **Plant Manipulation** **–** **Plant Growth** **–** **Spike Growth** **– Plant Analysis –** **Plant Modification** **– Wild Shape**

Megumin blinked a few times, looked away from the card and then focused again on it… there was nothing about the thorny whips, the wall of thorns, the plant tentacles or any of the advanced skills Izuku had shown… only basic skills.

The only explanation Megumin could think of, was that Izuku was working on a different logic than what Druids use… that meant that he was using knowledge that was unavailable for other Druids… knowledge of the natural world that had to belong… to another world…

"Change into an animal that doesn't exist in this world." Megumin demanded; she really wanted to believe her crush was special, in every sense, but her pride as a schooled spellcaster needed irrefutable proof of this discovery. If Izuku's claim was real, then he should be able to turn into something obviously not from this world, something that no other Druid could change into, something outside the bestiary from the Guild

"Sure." Izuku replied with a smile, and then stood up, leaving the petite Arch Wizard in the care of the steadfast Gator-Girl.

Izuku had prepared for this. He knew that the Skill Wild Shape would be necessary to prove his claim. He also knew that most animals he knew from back home had equivalents in this world, most could be considered subspecies of existing monsters that he could have seen in secluded areas, but there was a small group of creatures that had no equivalent in the bestiary he had studied, extinct creatures in his world that looked nothing like the monsters of this world… well, some of them.

Izuku visualized the creature he needed, recalled all the knowledge he had of it, and then channeled the mystical energies into his body.

The transformation was relatively fast, and by the end of it, Megumin was looking at a large… reptilian creature, standing on its hind legs. Said legs had talons ending in hooked claws, one being much larger than the others. There were feathers growing on its scaly hide, prominently so on his head and arms, and at the end of the long tail. Most of the body, while obviously scaly and reptilian in nature, was covered in feathers that weren't fully feathers, and the head was slightly similar to that of a dragon, but without horns.

Izuku had transformed into a Utahraptor.

It looked like a chimerical monster. But it wasn't. Because Druids couldn't turn into monsters, especially not of the chimerical variety. That meant she was looking at an animal that was not registered in any bestiary. An animal that, by the looks of it, would be a predator so successful that every hunter and ranger would know about it, and every knight would try to turn into a war mount.

That meant that Izuku was indeed from another world.

"Master!" Liza suddenly shouted, eyes sparkling with adoration, "Beautiful!"

Megumin only had one thing to say.

"You have to let me ride you!"

 _The next day_ _…_

Izuku was glad for Megumin's understanding and support.

The petite Crimson Demon had fully believed Izuku's story, his history, how he used to live, how he managed to get into this world, and how he arrived to the city. He still held onto the fact that he had died in the process, not wanting to startle the Arch Wizard or his girls, and had asked them to keep the secret about his origins. Megumin and the demi-human girls had agreed, much to his relief.

Unfortunately for Izuku, he now had to face a much bigger challenge.

Megumin had demanded his knowledge, specifically to make a much more powerful explosion. She had been so adamant on creating either a new spell, or at least create her own flair of the spell, that the green haired Druid had even managed to make a deal. He would integrate his scientific knowledge into her magic, and she would learn enough spells to be useful outside of combat. She had agreed to learn five more spells of his choosing.

Now they were standing in the same mountainous road, just waiting for Chika to return with her report.

"Master!" Chika called as she landed, making everyone flinch at her screeching voice, before she switched to a more subdued whisper. "Just like yesterday; Chika only saw a few skellies and no sign of a controller."

Izuku nodded, happy to find that just like the previous day the fort had no humans or creatures that would suffer due to the collateral damage.

"Are you ready?" Izuku asked to the Arch Wizard, who was nose-deep into a notebook where she and the young Druid had worked most of the night and the morning, combining her methodology of spellcrafting, with all the scientific formulae that Izuku knew.

The end result was a monstrosity of an equation that would result in something similar to an explosion, with a mana requirement of just one-third of her normal explosions.

"I am." Megumin replied, handing back the notebook, "I'm just not sure how to name this if it works."

"It's just an experiment." Izuku kindly reminded to his companion, "We are just testing if your magic can be combined with my science."

Megumin gave a sigh, knowing that her companion was right, but unable to shake the feeling that if she managed to create something new, she wanted the proper name to be immortalized.

"I guess you are right." Megumin finally conceded, then smiled as a name formed in her mind, "At least is going to cause a bang… that will do, if anything, it's going to be a big bang!"

Izuku froze at the naming of the spell. He hoped that the final result had nothing to do with the name.

Megumin closed her eyes and positioned her free hand forward, firmly pointing her staff towards her open palm. Spellcrafting required visualization along the mathematical structuring of the spell, guiding the mana to fill the given shape. Incantations helped to shape and visualize the effect, as well as keeping focus on the equations required. The first incantation of a spell was immortalized when a new spell was created, that's why she spent a long time thinking of it, going through all the theories that Izuku had explained to her.

 **"The first law of creation is destruction, and the end result of destruction is creation."**

The moment her words left her lips, a healthy amount of mana had gathered at her hand, forming a sphere, a protective bubble.

 **"The blocks of reality, atoms, gather before me. Smaller than a droplet in the ocean, yet stronger than the hardest metal, heed my command."**

A tiny speck of light, almost imperceptible, formed in the center of the translucent sphere.

 **"Clash against each other at speeds beyond speed. Shatter and unleash all the energy that created you!"**

The speck of light turned into a miniature sun, and the protective bubble began to ripple. Izuku knew that there had been a… miscalculation, either on his part, or Megumin was going overboard with the visualization.

 **"BIG BANG!"**

Megumin shouted as she launched her sphere of energy at the abandoned fortress. She had a quivering smile as she watched the tiny, insignificant thing fly against the cliff housing the ancient structure, expecting to see a mediocre detonation in the distance.

By the time the sphere seemed to reach its destination, she found herself being tackled to the ground by Izuku. Then she noticed Chika and Liza throwing themselves over them too. She barely managed to see a bright light coming from the castle by the time a massive quantity of vines formed a dome over all of them.

Then a deafening, booming roar hit them, along with a rather intimidating tremor.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" Megumin screamed, obviously worried about an enraged dragon that she may have accidentally hit with her spell, the terrible sound of raging winds and heat hitting the protective dome seemed to give credence to her idea.

"YOU OVERDID IT!" Izuku's answer didn't make sense.

She had expected a detonation, so, why did it feel like the mobile fortress Destroyer was rampaging all around them?

A few seconds later, half of the dome receded, leaving only a shield in the direction of the detonation. Izuku had made the vines take the strength of the fabled Iron Bark, and they still ended up carbonized by the mere friction caused by the expanded air.

"What happened?" Megumin asked, fully expecting to see an angry dragon, or the Destroyer… then she noticed it.

There was no more fortress… nor was any sign of the cliff it used to stand upon… only a smoking crater.

"You overdid it!" Izuku replied while slapping her head, "Control! First you control what you are doing! Then you can slowly add more power!"

As Izuku continued to loudly lecture a now startled Megumin, Chika and Liza watched the ridiculous level of destruction. Liza only knew that Megumin was not someone to anger, but Chika could see something more; her Master, her Hero, was going to bring a lot of changes to this world.

 **Spellcraft successful. Detonation Branch of Magic updated. Spell Registration: Megumin's Big Bang.**

 _Back at the Guild Hall_ _…_

While everyone was talking about the mysterious flash of light coming from the mountains, and a tremor that scared more than a few children, Aqua was looking at a certain request on the quest board.

"Oh no. My poor cute worshipers!" Aqua exclaimed as she read the request.

The local chapel to her divinity was at risk of being closed due to a lack of tax payments. Thanks to the church of Eris being the main religion of the town, her followers needed to pay taxes like any other business.

It wasn't a heavy tax though, meaning that to have missed payments, hard times had to have struck the local priest.

"There has to be a way to help them." Aqua said to herself as she read the required money to help her small congregation, "There has to be a way to get fifty million eris."

The deadline made things difficult… but then she remembered that her green-haired companion most likely could provide such money. But how to convince him?

At that time she didn't know it, but she would be the reason for a massive blow against her own faith.

* * *

 **Magnus:** Thanks for reading this far! Next chapter will include consequences for Megumin's actions, and a whole lot of more despair for Aqua!


	8. Show of Power

**Magnus:** Sorry for the delay, I was experimenting with possible ramifications for Aqua (redeeming her or not) and that affected the chapter.

 **Disclaimer:** I feel like I need to say this again: this is an experimental story, meant to serve as practice for when I make a serious Isekai crossover, which will come as soon as this experiment is over.

 **This chapter was edited by Vandenbz**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 **A show of Power**

Izuku found himself unable to sleep.

The first few nights he'd spent with Chika and Liza were difficult due to how easily the girls cuddled up to him at night, but he had gotten over it rather quickly. As much as he was a hormonal boy, he saw them as victims of mistreatment, and wouldn't dare to even have lewd thoughts about them; at least not until they were mentally healthy and were pretty clear on their interest.

Then he had noticed that the bed and the covers were getting uncomfortable.

At first he chalked up this feeling to the fact that he finally was settling into this world and the change in terms of technological setting was finally catching up to him. Megumin, however, was kind enough to explain to him later on that Druids, like many other classes meant to dwell deep within the wilderness, had a negative side to their passive comfort in the wild; they were actually unable to find comfort in cities and fancy settings in general.

It wasn't exactly a crippling blow, but it was still shocking.

Izuku had been able to cope by giving the bed to the former slaves, and him taking the floor to sleep. Things usually devolved into waking up with Liza at his back, and Chika being all over him; it wasn't uncomfortable at all, in fact, he was getting used to it… until tonight.

 _'_ _Why did this happen?!_ _'_ Izuku thought in distress as he watched Megumin, who was sleeping with a peaceful expression on her adorable face… in his arms.

After returning from testing the Big Bang spell, Izuku had insisted on finally knowing where Megumin was renting her room. The petite Crimson Demon had insisted long ago that her sleeping quarters were cheap, safe and comfortable enough, but had refused to share their whereabouts.

Izuku had been understandably worried about this, as such a cute little girl would make a prime target for unscrupulous people, who would offer accommodation in exchange for favors. That's why he followed her by taking the shape of a domestic cat. When he found out where she was sleeping…

 _'_ _Why do you have to be so reckless?!_ _'_ Izuku screamed in his mind while lightly caressing the hair of the petite Arch Wizard, _'_ _You only needed to ask for help_ _…'_

Megumin had been sleeping inside a hollowed tree trunk.

When Izuku confronted her, she had been truly embarrassed. It took a lot of convincing, and even some harsh tones, but in the end, she had confessed what she had been doing with all her money. Izuku nearly had a heart attack when he learned that her family was going through dire straits, and she was sending pretty much every coin she earned back home.

That's what had forced him to take such a drastic measure.

He couldn't stop her, because he would do the same if he could. He couldn't give her more money, because he understood that she would just send it too. He did the best he could; he made a pact with her, so she would only send 80% of all her winnings, and give 20% of said winnings to the party coffers. In exchange, he would supply food and shelter for her, permanently.

With a face that resembled a tomato, the petite Crimson Demon had accepted… declaring that she was now under his care…

"Why aren't you doing things to me?" Megumin suddenly asked in a whispery voice, opening one eye to look directly into Izuku's eyes, "I… thought you liked me…"

There was some dejection in her voice, as if she had expected this to be a magical night out of a romantic novel. Izuku then remembered that this was a medieval society, and that Megumin was a chunnibyo, of course she expected such things!

Even if she didn't understand the implications.

Izuku was silent for a moment, something that made Megumin sad. She had thought that her crush was going to be hers tonight, but apparently he still saw her as a child, unfit to be by his side as a lover. The moment she tried to roll away from his arms, though, he hugged her, not only showcasing strong arms, but strong feelings… for her.

"It is because you are very important to me that I won't go any further." Izuku's whisper carried love and care, something that the explosive girl had no previous experiences with, "Neither you, nor I, are ready to… commit… to each other on such a deep level. We need to grow a little more."

Megumin smiled, understanding that she wasn't being rejected. She also felt a little bit of relief, as she wasn't sure how to act when doing things normally associated with being lovers.

"So, when both of us grow a little more…" The petite Arch Wizard trailed off a little bit, but was happy to receive a nod from the green-haired Druid.

"Can I have a… kiss?" Megumin's request was made with a massive blush on her face.

"Yes." Izuku managed to reply without stuttering, however, his face resembled a tomato… and when he leaned forward, and kissed the girl on her forehead, she too blushed as deep as he did.

As the adorable girl in his arms nuzzled against his chest, preparing to sleep, he couldn't help but wonder what his mother would think of him.

 _The next day…_

The day started on a rather odd standing. On one hand, awakening while being embraced by three beautiful girls was both elating and embarrassing; on the other, the smug smile on Megumin's face at seeing his expression at awakening in such a way gave him the shivers.

"Izuku, Izuku!" Aqua called, sounding way too friendly for Izuku's liking, "You look really well today!"

Megumin had boldly stated that she didn't mind sharing him with Chika and Liza, however, she had tried to be menacing when demanding no more girls between them. Izuku, of course, had vehemently refuted all notions of having a harem; he was understandably confused when the explosive Arch Wizard nodded with a smile.

"Did something happen?" Izuku asked in concern, "Are you in trouble?"

Going to the Guild to have breakfast with his girls, Izuku was understandably worried about the behavior of the ex-goddess. Of course, he wanted her to change her ways and be more agreeable and ready to help, but he wasn't a fool; such changes didn't happen overnight, much less after so much complaining about their daily routine.

"I told you he would see right through you." Darkness said as she continued with her breakfast.

"Alright! I need your help!" Aqua quickly conceded, taking a rather distressed look, "My cute worshipers are in trouble!"

Darkness just rolled her eyes at what she was sure were delusions, while Megumin and Chika gave the blue-haired Arch Priestess deadpan looks. They knew she was the actual goddess, which made her attitude all the more unbearable.

Then Aqua produced the quest petition.

"Ok, let's see…" Izuku gave the paper a cursory read, quickly accompanied by Megumin, as she was curious about the possible problem, "Fifty…"

There was a moment of silence as Izuku processed the petition; Megumin just stared dumbfounded at the paper.

"No." Izuku deadpanned.

The petition was ludicrous; the money requested was way too much, so much in fact, that it reeked of a scam.

"BUT MY CUTE WORSHIPERS!" Aqua screeched as she jumped over the table to grab Izuku by his collar, shaking him for added effect, "YOU HAVE TO HELP ME HELP THEM!"

"Dummy!" Liza nearly shouted as she grabbed the Arch Priestess by the back of her dress, unintentionally lifting her skirt a little bit more than usual while removing Aqua from her master, "Back off!"

Now, left to stand on her own again, the former goddess began to sob. Megumin and Chika gave her a deadpan look, again, and even Darkness shook her head at the scene.

"Why (sob) won't (sob) you help (sob) my worshipers?" Aqua's tears were quite convincing, perhaps because this time Izuku could tell they weren't just for herself, but for others.

"Aqua…" Izuku's voice earned attention, for he sounded kind and caring, while not being any less serious, "Can't you understand what you are asking for?"

The simple and clear question made the Arch Priestess look down, of course she understood, but she couldn't stay there and do nothing. Fifty million eris wasn't a small sum of money, not by any stretch of the imagination, and even a noble like Darkness would not throw such money around so lightly.

"Izuku doesn't have that much money; even if he had it, he still needs to cover rooming and food for four people." Megumin joined, fully supporting the Druid, "We all get that you want to support your cult, but there is a limit to how much we can throw away to help strangers."

"In addition to that, the Axis cult won't be thrown out of the city. They will only lose their temple, which means they will have to return to preaching in the plaza and at the small shrines like in the old days." Darkness further explained, but then she frowned, "Wait. Why does Izuku have to provide for four people?"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Aqua's screech was loud enough to drown Darkness' last question, "My cute worshipers have done nothing wrong! It's unfair that they have to pay that much of a tax to have a temple."

There was a moment of silence at the table as Aqua's true sorrow was being felt, the pain in her heart was genuine, and as much as Izuku had begun to dislike her and her attitude, he was still a hero at heart, and the idea of finding a solution to such a problem was beginning to take root in his mind.

"There may be a way…" Izuku started, just to be immediately tackled and hugged by the waist by a crying Arch Priestess.

"I'LL DO ANYTHING!" Aqua's scream earned quite a few stares, especially from those who had dirty minds.

"Blue hair dummy!" Liza was quick to lift the ex-goddess from her master's lap, "Don't touch!"

"As I was saying, there may be a way; but it'll require a compromise…" Izuku returned to his speech, carefully eyeing Megumin's worried expression, "First of all; Darkness, do the tax collectors take material goods as payment in lieu of money?"

The question was strange, as none of the girls thought the young Druid could possess something so valuable. Megumin, however, was privy to some of the things that Izuku had been doing on his free time. The wine was a success, and it had an interesting property, as it was capable of increasing the natural recovery of the drinker's mana. It wasn't by much, but it was nearly half of what the expensive mana potions from the guild could provide. Then there was the unintended byproduct, as the resulting pulp from the berries made for an excellent base for health potions, that while not as good as the standard ones, were cheaper, and thus, more accessible to low level adventurers.

"It is possible…" Darkness drawled on, not sure how this information would help in this situation, "But you need the items appraised by the Guild first."

"Well, here is the deal." Izuku said, earning the full attention of the blue-haired girl, "Along with my savings and the party coffers, we have a total of thirty million eris."

Megumin and Aqua gasped at such a number, as it was more money than they ever had on their hands.

"There is a chance that the wine and potions I've crafted during the last week can provide the rest." Izuku's words brought tears of happiness to Aqua's eyes, as she could clearly see her worshipers being saved, "However, this means having to deal with no money whatsoever for a time."

The fatalistic truth was like a slap to the face. Aqua knew that there was no way to convince her party members to fall into poverty.

Talking Izuku into parting with his personal savings and crafted beverages was not exactly a difficult task, as the budding hero would do anything to help people; the others, however, was another story.

The coffers were something that Izuku had invented, and was becoming popular amongst adventurer parties. It was a system that for a modest sum of money, allowed the adventurers to keep their valuable money and items within the walls of the guild, making it easy to save money for paying rent, procuring meals, and to afford services that would otherwise make for awkward moments when making monetary transactions.

Izuku's payment for this innovative idea was to have his coffer free of charge.

Since he didn't have to pay the upkeep, it had become the party coffer, making the money there double safe because only he could access it. This was also the reason Aqua had no say in it, because she preferred to keep the money herself, so she could spend it in whatever way she pleased. Meaning that it would be very rude for her to propose using that money for anything that would only benefit her.

"Even if we look at the best case scenario…" Megumin added, looking so serious that it was like she was faking a deeper voice just for the cool factor, "You are asking us to give up everything for nothing in return."

"That's not… I mean…" Aqua was hit with the realization that there was no way to return this favor in such a way that her party members would accept… unless…

"I'll remove the seals." Aqua's declaration was thrown in a low voice, surprising both Izuku and Megumin.

"Huh?" Darkness was now confused, "What seals?"

"Really?" Izuku was caught off guard by such a declaration, "I…"

Before Izuku could jump the gun, Megumin quickly took his arm, pulling him to her side.

"I'm not against it." Megumin whispered into the ear of the young Druid, "But be mindful of the slavers and the church of Eris."

Izuku's first reaction was finally tempered by the petite Arch Wizard's warning. Having the slaves healed, dressed and happy was one thing, but removing the slave seal was another. If it became public knowledge, anyone would be able to kidnap the demi-humans and turn them again into slaves, with him being unable to legally fight back.

"What do you propose then?" Izuku asked, making the petite Crimson Demon smile at such a level of trust.

"Do the unsealing in a private room, and then place fake seals on Chika and Liza." Megumin whispered her plan, "I can help with the magical signature."

"Can someone explain what is going on?" Darkness finally asked aloud, although with much less annoyance than one would expect, "Especially the part about Izuku providing for…"

"Aqua is in need of a lot of money, and has agreed to perform a very powerful magical service in return for such aid." Megumin quickly interrupted the Blonde Crusader, who looked a little confused still, "Also, I'm now living with Izuku."

"WHAT?!" Darkness shouted in shock, "How did that happen?!"

"Darkness." Izuku's voice quickly caught the attention of the masochistic Blonde, who was in dire need of an explanation, "Ten million eris from our coffer belong to you, and I'm not touching them without your permission. That's why I'm asking you to lend them to me this time, and I promise that I'll repay you as…"

Izuku couldn't finish his plea as the distressed Crusader slammed her fists against the table.

"Take what you will!" Darkness' uncharacteristic shout was powerful enough to get the attention of everyone in the guild, "Just explain already what's happening between you and Megumin!"

Suddenly, Darkness wasn't the only one interested in the relationship between her leader and the shortest girl in the group.

 _A couple of hours later…_

Izuku looked at his newest magical contract, which bound the Arch Priestess to him. He wasn't as happy as he should be, but he guessed there wasn't much more he could do to ensure she just wouldn't run away.

Due to the nature of the transaction, Izuku couldn't force her to directly write the magical service she had promised in the first place, besides, all contracts of such caliber had to include an equivalent monetary compensation in case the first clause couldn't be fulfilled. Not that he believed the ex-goddess could suddenly produce fifty million eris, and he was pretty certain she wouldn't last more than a single day getting 90% of her winnings redirected to the party coffers.

"And here I thought there was still some hope…" Darkness' lament managed to distract Izuku, who almost pitied the masochistic Crusader.

When Megumin started to explain her current situation to the blonde pervert, Izuku had become nervous, because she was a chunni, meaning that she could easily say things that could be taken out of context. Instead, she had been quite clear; describing that she was just sharing a room with him, and that she was sending most of her money back home.

That didn't stop rumors to spread about some sort of romance between him and the petite Arch Wizard.

"It's done." Aqua said as she returned to the table, looking happy, grateful and hopeful.

"I made sure there were no mishaps." Megumin reported, even giving a mock salute to show how seriously she took this assignment, "The guild has the money, and it'll be transferred to the Priest of the cult today."

Izuku gave a sigh in return. He came off as paranoid to his party members at first, but when he explained that moving that much money would always gain attention from thieves and other criminals, they agreed to have things move as silently as possible.

"I know you want me to honor my end of the deal, but…" Aqua suddenly spoke, dragging on her words as she took in the steely stares of her companions, "Do you mind if we take a quest first? We kinda need to rent a sealed room for the service, you know?"

"Seems reasonable enough." Izuku replied as the others nodded.

As they began to stand so they could prepare for a quest, Chika suddenly tugged on Izuku's sleeve; once she got his attention, she got even closer to his ear.

"If Chika is set free." The black harpy started, sounded way too nervous, "Can Chika stay with Master?"

Izuku simply gave her a smile.

"Chika," Izuku started as he head-patted the avian girl, "You and Liza can stay with me for as long as you want."

The happiness radiated by the slave girls nearly blinded him, making him truly happy.

 _A couple hours later,_ _at a nearby lake…_

The quest was a simple one, to purify the lake in order to increase the quality of the town's water. Aqua had volunteered to do the heavy lifting this time, although by that she meant sitting inside the lake for half a day. Izuku saw this as a show of good will, for she insisted on not keeping the reward, as it would be used to rent the sealed room for the ceremony of liberation. The leftovers were going to pay for a large room for the night, mainly to save money while they recovered from the stunt of saving the Axis Cult.

Izuku, however, had a different proposal.

"From where I come from, Heroes are known for having final attacks, or special moves." Izuku said as he faced the still lake, murky waters staring back in defiance, "I intend to be a Hero, one day."

While Darkness considered the sentiment as cute, Megumin, Chika and Liza looked at the young Druid with sparks in their eyes. The demi-human girls adored their master and his heroic disposition, Megumin couldn't wait to see what her crush would create with his otherworldly knowledge.

"I will need some protection if the Brutal Alligators decide to attack me to keep their murky paradise." Izuku said to his companions, everyone nodding in understanding and support, "Also… if this doesn't work… not a word, okay?"

Izuku's bashful request earned a couple of snorts, but no rebuttal.

Megumin knew what he was going to do; he was going to attempt spellcrafting via the druidic traditions. Druidic spells were, according to the records, much easier to craft due to the basis of each effect being clearly ingrained in the minds and hearts of the Druids, unlike the formulae that Wizards had to follow. However, Druidic spells were considered sacred, meaning that to create something new it was required to utilize a Druidic circle, and to commune with nature until the spells were approved.

Simply crafting one was supposed to be impossible, as it would mean that the Druid in question was favored AND loved by nature itself, a notion most ludicrous.

With a calming breath, and a simple extending of his hands, Megumin noticed that the whole area had gone silent, becoming attentive to the being that was about to speak…

 **"** **Mother nature, Ruler of Life and Death; heed my call and listen to my heart."**

First, there was a feeling in the ground. Their first thought was that it was a slight tremor, but softer, more akin to a heartbeat. While Megumin's face was one of surprise at the very notion of the spell actually working without passing it through the circles, Aqua's expression was akin to being told she was in the presence of something divine… that wasn't her.

 **"** **Take the chaos and ruin before me, crush it, break it, and consume it all."**

Vines emerged from the center of the lake; unlike the ones he used as whips, these were thicker, like the branches of an old yet big tree. These vines sported massive spikes, whose length could easily pierce through the chest of an adult. Not only were they numerous, they were also shiny, almost metallic in appearance.

 **"** **Throw it all into the spiraling cycle of life, twist it and mold it until beauty blossoms again!"**

Before everyone's eyes, the spikes on the vines began to glow. The vines began to move, spiraling and twisting, moving around each other. Water began to follow the vines, running like rampaging rivers all along the verdant limbs. The glowing spikes were feeding on the impurities of the water and the soil, absorbing and twisting their composition to generate only nutrients and pure energy.

During the entire process, Izuku's arms had been thrown out to his sides; then, as he looked at the rampaging vines, he brought his arms together, clasping hands in a loud and violent fashion.

 **"GENESIC WORLD TREE!"**

In an instant, the vines came crashing together, twisting and knotting against each other, fusing until they became a single structure. The water that was running along the vines was forcefully spat upwards. For a moment, the lake seemed nearly empty, with only a large tree in the center.

The tree was unlike anything that the party had seen in their entire lives. The trunk, while standing perfectly straight, had its bark showing a twisting pattern; the bark itself had a shiny, nearly metallic look to it. The top of the tree was full of branches that freely twisted all around, the leaves though, seemed like they were made of bronze.

Then the water fell like a downpour, accidentally bathing the girls and the Druid in the process. Neither could complain though, as the water was pure, fresh and felt like the waters of a healing spring.

 **Spellcraft Successful. Druidic Branch of Magic Updated. Spell Registration: Izuku** **'** **s Genesic World Tree.**

"I guess that's a success?" Izuku asked as he turned to look at his companions, "Right?"

Everyone was soaked, but the looks on their faces had nothing to do with their clothes being drenched. Wide eyes full of disbelief looked at the young Druid, as if they couldn't process what they had seen, or the results of what had happened.

"And you admonished me for overdoing it?" Megumin asked with a smug voice and grin, making Izuku scratch the back of his head, "Don't you know that what you did is basically the dream of every Druid?"

Izuku was aware of the fact that Druids saw the creation of their own tree as the maximum expression of their connection to nature. He just wasn't sure that the end result of his spell counted as such.

"HERESY!" Aqua cried in shock, unable to deal with the envy she felt at the moment.

Izuku didn't just make a tree grow out of nothing. He created a new form of life while purifying an area. It was something she couldn't do. It shouldn't be possible.

"Is that the fabled Iron Tree?" Darkness asked, wondering if it would be safe with the dwarves and elves of the city wanting to get their hands on it.

"Master… is a God!" Chika couldn't contain her desire to praise her dear Master, for even she could understand that the green-haired teen had outdone so many people with this miracle.

"Now you are turning them into heretics!" Aqua screamed again, going hysterical at the mere thought of this simpleton gaining a cult of his own, "STOP IT!"

"Now, now. Let's just calm down and…" Izuku tried to defuse the situation, but when he tried to take a step toward his companions, he felt lightheaded, and stumbled a little bit.

"Master!" Liza shouted as she rushed in his aid, showing speed that belied her massive muscles.

"I'm ok!" Izuku replied as he was suddenly being embraced by powerful arms, "I'm just not used to spending that much mana on a single spell."

As Megumin and Chika were clustered around him in worry, and Liza refused to let go of him, Izuku began to wonder how his adorable Crimson Demon companion managed to drain all her reserves with her explosion magic, and find it fine. His spell had just consumed nearly 70% of his mana, and he already felt the consequences of such massive consumption.

Maybe it was because he had been using only low cost skills all this time?

 _Back at the Guild Hall, much later…_

Izuku felt good. After spending some time with a picnic, calming Aqua down, and enjoying some berries and roasted fish, the party had made their trek back to the town, finding no opposition worthy of note.

The quest reward had already been spent in paying for a large bedroom with two double beds, some food for night snacks, and a bottle of cider to celebrate… then Izuku realized he was going to spend a night in a room full of beautiful girls…

He didn't freak out, on the outside, but still got nervous.

"Are you ready, Aqua?" Izuku asked, more to fight his now escalating nerves, "We have all we need, right?"

"I'm ready." Aqua replied, looking a bit cross now that she had to uphold her end of the deal.

"Yes, we have all the materials." Megumin added while holding a bag with special inks and brushes.

"I guess it'll be better if I simply don't look." Darkness said as she took another sip of her beer, "As much as I enjoy taking punishment, I will never allow myself to become… you know what."

The unspoken word was well known by the group, and the main reason Aqua flinched at the mere idea. In a few more minutes she would perform a heretic act against her very own faith, but she was determined to endure it, because it was going to be performed as payment for saving her cute worshipers.

"Thanks, Darkness." Izuku's sincere words made the blonde Crusader blush, "I promise that I'll repay…"

Whatever else Izuku was going to say was drowned out by a scream.

"LADY GODDESS?!"

The entire party turned to the Guild's entrance, just to see a young man wearing a full set of plate armor, painted blue with gold trim and an avian motif on the chest. His dirty blond hair was adorned with a golden tiara-like headpiece, and his blue eyes were a strange mix of sparkling and shock.

"Do you know him, Aqua?" Izuku asked, not immediately thinking that there could be a problem with the newcomer.

"Nope." Aqua answered, seemingly unconcerned or uninterested with the newcomer, "His face and voice don't ring any bells."

"Well, he seems to know you." Megumin chimed in, pointing at the now approaching armored man.

"Lady Goddess!" The young man spoke again, still loud enough to catch the attention of the other adventurers, "What are you doing here?"

While the young man was starting to become a concern with how loud he was, the two girls he arrived with were a deeper worry. While young, and admittedly scantily dressed, their eyes denoted what Izuku feared the most, intolerance toward his demi-human friends.

"Huh?" Aqua was on the verge of taking a step back from the approaching guy, "Do I know you?!"

The young man stopped dead in his tracks, he seemed full of concern at first, but then smiled. He reached for his sword, trying to act as non-threatening as possible, but Darkness and Megumin still gripped their gear in preparation for a confrontation; to the side, Izuku noticed that Chika and Liza had tensed, ready to resort to violence if there was need for it… no one noticed that Izuku himself had a pair of thorny vines ready to use.

"It's me, Mitsurugi Kyouya!" The blond presented himself, showing the sword as if it was some kind of ID, "The Mitsurugi Kyouya you gave the Cursed Sword Gram to, and entrusted to save this world!"

There was a moment of silence as no one knew what to say. Aqua didn't seem any closer to recognizing the guy, even as if he seemed to be another reincarnated; the now identified Kyouya seemed unable to think that he was of no relevance to the ex-goddess.

"AH!" Aqua shouted while slamming her right fist into her open left palm, "Yes, it's you! Sorry, you won't believe how many I met before you."

Aqua's sudden enlightenment couldn't fool even Liza, who fixed the Arch Priestess with a deadpan stare; the others just rolled their eyes at the obvious fake recognition.

"Thank goodness you remembered." Kyouya seemed to believe her though, much to the annoyance of the group.

Izuku wasn't really worried about the armored young man though, he was more concerned about the two girls that hadn't stopped whispering to each other while throwing looks of disgust toward his party. After hearing the rumors himself, he wasn't naïve enough to believe they were just judging the attire of the girls on his team, but connecting the dots and getting to the worst of conclusions.

"As glad as I am that our esteemed Arch Priestess has been reunited with someone from her past…" Izuku interrupted the moment, managing to stop the two girls as well, "Don't you think that calling her a goddess is too much?"

While Chika and Liza nodded furiously, happy to stand in defense of their dear Master, Megumin quickly caught on to what he was trying to accomplish.

"Don't you know that there are likely zealots around here?" Megumin voice carried all around, succeeding in being heard, "You could make one of them stab our friend here just because they thought you were being serious!"

Kyouya winced as it finally clicked in his mind that his beloved goddess may be here as part of an incognito mission, and he was hindering her progress.

"Y-yeah! You are right!" Kyouya replied as he sat at their table, uninvited, "I'm sorry for… overreacting."

"Do they know?" Izuku whispered to the blond as he sat by his side, "The truth about you and Aqua?"

Kyouya seemed lost at first, until Izuku gestured at the two girls accompanying him with his eyes.

"Girls, I'm sorry for bothering you, but can you report our success to the Guild attendant?" Kyouya's request was immediately answered with a squeal of acceptance; a moment later the girls began to head in Luna's direction, now arguing about who would be the one to make the report.

"Darkness, could you…" Izuku began to ask, trying to be kind about his request.

Darkness didn't allow him to finish, standing up on her own, with a steely look of determination in her eyes.

"Of course!" Darkness replied as she dutifully marched in the same direction as the girls.

She may not be the smartest woman in the group, but Darkness had been aware of the ill disposition of the two followers of the newcomer. The way they looked at the young Druid, her charge, the purest heart she had ever met, it made her blood boil; she just couldn't risk them going around spreading falsehoods and ill rumors.

"What about them?" Kyouya asked as he noticed that neither the Arch Wizard, nor the slaves, were going away.

"They know the truth." Izuku replied, throwing a look that spoke of confidence and trust to his girls, "And are trustworthy."

With that, Kyouya let out a tired sigh before he demanded answers…

Izuku then spent ten minutes explaining his story, cutting out the parts about his misery, and trying his best to properly explain why Aqua had to tag along. The blond Swordsmaster looked cross at the information given, and while he couldn't exactly blame the young Druid for Aqua's presence on this world, he was incensed at the way Izuku treated his beloved goddess.

"I understand." Kyouya stated as he stood up, moving a couple of steps away from the table. Then he turned and pointed at Izuku in an overdramatic fashion, "But I can't stand this!"

Izuku and Megumin were at a loss of words, as they couldn't understand the sudden harsh tone.

"Stand what?" Izuku ventured to ask, hoping to be able to diffuse any potential hostility.

"Your treatment of my dear Lady Aqua is intolerable!" Kyouya's voice began to increase in volume, gaining attention again from the other adventurers, "I demand you release her so she can join my party!"

"Your what now?!" Aqua asked as she felt a shiver running through her spine; she was used to being worshiped, receiving declarations of love from her worshipers, and even took pleasure in knowing that she incited lewd thoughts in some of her younger followers, but this guy sounded creepy as hell.

"She is not my property." Izuku replied, calmly, while taking a bite of the fried frog he had ordered, "She is, and always have been, free to come and go as she pleases."

The blond Swordsmaster was taken aback by the sudden declaration, unable to believe that it would be so simple to wrestle what was the greatest of the divine gifts from this boy.

"Aqua has always been free to leave the party if she felt that Izuku was not an appropriate leader, or if she felt mistreated." Megumin added, taking small, cute bites from her cabbage stir-fry, "She still has a debt to pay though."

"What debt?" Kyouya asked with narrowed eyes, while at the same time Aqua winced upon being reminded of that part of the deal.

"Ah… well…" Aqua began as she fidgeted, "I kinda asked them to lend me fifty million eris… but it was for a noble cause!"

"I have no doubt of it, my dear Lady Aqua." Kyouya's assurance only brought another shiver to Aqua's spine, "Aren't you ashamed of yourself? Will you demand the money back from such a noble and pure…"

"Yes, I will." Izuku interrupted the boy, getting rightfully annoyed at his attitude, "It was a lot of money, and I have mouths to feed, and shelter to provide."

Kyouya was about to ask why that was important, until he finally recognized the girls as demi-humans, and slaves. The kingdom of Belzerg was known for its kindness to slaves, making it expensive to even have one, let alone two, but their mere existence made it easier to see the Druid as an evil individual.

"I see…" The blond Swordsmaster said in a low, trembling voice, "THEN I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!"

Izuku didn't know it at the time, but this event was going to mark him for life…

* * *

 **Magnus:** Feel free to leave a comment about Aqua's fate. Should she be redeemed or not?


	9. The Cheater

**Magnus:** Sorry for the extended delay, but Cursed Blood takes precedence, and it requires much more work and atention to detail. Don't worry, this story will be updated, and I'll work on it until the story is properly finished.

 **Disclaimer:** For the X time, this story is not going to follow canon.

 **Edit: This chapter has been Beta'ed by Vandenbz.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 **The Cheater**

The Kingdom of Belzerg was renowned for being fair, just, and somewhat tolerant to unconventional ideologies. This assessment was most obvious when taking a look at the religions based on the Goddesses, Eris and Aqua, the sovereignty given to the Clan of Crimson Demons, and of course, their questionable kindness to demi-humans.

While many countries had asked about why the Empire, which was considered the strongest nation, remained on such friendly terms with Belzerg's royal family, few actually understood why it was vital for the world to allow the kingdom to operate with such absurd freedom.

It produced Heroes.

The first Hero, and every single one of them after him, came from Belzerg. This fact resulted in several unwritten treatises that all nations held with the Royal Family, one of such, included the oath to never start a war with the Kingdom due to the production of heroes being the most important resource for the world. This oath extended to nearly prohibiting duels from happening, especially between promising adventurers.

Leading to now…

"THEN I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!"

The entirety of the Guild Hall had fallen silent. Dozens of startled stares were now directed towards the two young adventurers. One was known as the Ace of Axel, a promising young Swordsmaster with a powerful Relic Weapon; the other was commonly referred to as the Raising Star of Axel, a quirky Druid wielding strange magic.

"A what now?" Izuku's question may have thrown Kyouya out of balance, but for the rest of the adventurers, it was a perfectly reasonable question to ask.

The green-haired boy was a Spellcaster, the blond guy was a Warrior. To the audience at large, the challenge was unreasonable.

"A duel." Kyouya repeated, his voice lower, but still serious, "If I win, you'll free Lady Aqua from this ridiculous debt!"

There was a moment of silence as everyone waited for the rest of the challenge to be issued, and even longer for a rejection. When no other words came from the blond Swordsmaster, Izuku felt the need to push the issue further.

"And… if I win?" Izuku's question seemed to irk the self-proclaimed hero.

"What do you mean by that?" Kyouya asked with a twitching brow, "Things will remain as they are."

The silence that resulted from such a declaration came from the room's inability to understand the gall of the young warrior.

"I refuse." Izuku replied, and then turned to continue with his meal. His companions followed suit, infuriating the blond in the process.

"What?!" Kyouya screamed in outrage, unable to believe that someone would turn an honorable duel down, "You are not supposed to refuse a duel!"

Murmurs began to erupt amongst the onlookers; however, instead of calling up Izuku's cowardice, the voices began to criticize the blond Swordsmaster.

"Actually…" Megumin began to reply instead of the young Druid, directing a smug grin toward the self-proclaimed hero, "You didn't issue a duel. Your wording is closer to an extortion. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"

Kyouya gaped like a fish out of the water, seemingly unable to understand what part of his heroic speech could be considered an attempt at extorting the young Druid.

"You are demanding high value things through threats of violence, that's extortion." Izuku explained after taking a sip from his beverage, which thankfully had no alcohol, "Don't get me wrong. Even if you were to offer a proper duel, I would still refuse."

"What was improper about my demand for a duel?!" Kyouya asked aloud, anger evident in his voice, "Honorable warriors are not supposed to refuse duels!"

There was yet another moment of silence in the Guild Hall. None of the veteran adventurers could believe their ears. It was one thing was to try extorting the young Druid, but quite another to not understand the laws of the kingdom.

"To begin with…" Darkness broke the silence as she returned from the desk, closely followed by the companions of the blond warrior, "If you are going to demand something through a duel, you must offer something of similar or greater value. Otherwise it's extortion."

Kyouya looked like he had just swallowed something very sour. He wasn't used to being lectured, especially on his sense of justice.

"Even so…" The blond girl that followed Kyouya began to say, trying to get behind her leader, "He shouldn't refuse…"

"Anyone challenged to a duel has the right to refuse. That is the law." Darkness continued, glaring at the girls that seemed to think that the blond Swordsmaster was some kind of true Hero, "The only types of duels that cannot be refused are duels of honor, and magic duels."

The blond warrior grinned at the last bit.

"So, if I challenge him to an honor duel…" Kyouya started, just to be interrupted yet again.

"Are you a noble?" Megumin asked, her smug smile screaming that no matter the answer, she had already won.

"Ugh…" The blond Swordsmaster didn't seem to want to reply, but knew he had to, "I… have no title…"

"Only nobles can issue a challenge for an honor duel. And even if you were such, only nobles can accept such challenges." Darkness' explanation finally killed the mood, leaving Kyouya with a face of defeat, and Izuku with a grateful smile.

Darkness felt something swelling inside her chest, the feeling of being useful was making her feel so good that she could hardly describe it in words. Then someone else decided to join the conversation…

"He can still issue a magic duel." Aqua spoke, earning shocked faces from all around her, "Most people believe both individuals need to be spellcasters, but it only requires them to be able to cast at least one spell, regardless of potency."

Izuku felt betrayed.

While spellcasting classes had the wider variety of spells, most other classes had a couple of spells at their disposition. They were minor tricks, utility spells, and tiny attacks that paled in comparison to those of Clerics, Wizards and Druids. But they had them.

One quick glance at Kyouya, and Izuku knew that the duel was now unavoidable. The smug 'hero' was sliding his fingers around his adventurer card, obviously selecting a minor spell to be able to proceed.

 _Two hours later, outside the Guild Hall…_

The crowd gathered outside the hall was restless, but not happy. Izuku and Kyouya were about to duel; one was a Druid, the other a Swordsmaster. It was unfair, and everyone was worried.

"Do you two understand the rules?" Luna asked aloud, feeling sick that she was the one forced to officiate the duel… it had been sickening enough to deal with the contract of said duel.

The blond warrior had been really upset after learning that he still had to offer something of equal or greater value to what he wanted to obtain, but he was confident on his skills, and his divine treasure. That's why he offered his precious Relic Weapon known as Gram, as he couldn't offer less for the freedom of his Lady Goddess.

As usual, the contract also included a safety clause stating that he could pay fifty million eris instead… not that he had them in his pocket.

"Yes, I do." Kyouya replied, unsheathing his sword. He was grinning, earning scowls from the audience, as his actions were borderline villainous.

The rules stated that no spells could be cast between the acceptance of the duel and the moment it officially began. Reading weapons didn't break this rule, much to Izuku's disadvantage.

"I do…" Izuku replied, grimacing at the prospect of engaging in combat with someone who should have been a friend in this strange world, "I just wish we could have resolved this peacefully."

Luna and pretty much everyone else nodded in agreement.

"You had your chance when I told you to forgive her debt." Kyouya's rebuke just earned him further face-palms and groans, for no one had forgotten how he had demanded things in an irrational way, "Now you must face the consequences of your stubbornness!"

Luna threw a distressed look at Izuku, silently begging him to surrender, and file a complaint against this sort of deplorable behavior. Izuku just sighed and waved at her to not worry about it.

Luna was understandably confused at the smug expressions of Izuku's companions.

"Remember that duels don't have to be to the death. BEGIN!" At Luna's shout, the duel started.

Kyouya quickly slid into motion. Right foot thrown forward, to counterbalance swinging his sword back. Left hand placed over the blade to activate the different effects that would grant him instant victory. And tracing his path with his mind, to prevent mishaps.

The blonde Swordsmaster traced the entire move in one second. He intended to blindside the foolish Druid, hitting his head with the flat of his sword, so the duel could end instantly and without bloodshed. It was the heroic thing to do…

Then he noticed he couldn't move his sword…

"What?!" Kyouya was caught off-guard by the sudden resistance.

Looking at his weapon, he noticed that the hilt had been thoroughly enveloped by thorny vines. These vines, however, originated from cracks in the ground below him. Then he noticed more vines coiling around his foot…

"GHAAA!" Kyouya couldn't help the high-pitched scream of surprise as he was suddenly turned upside-down, his body now suspended in the air a couple of meters from the ground. His sword Gram, his beloved divine treasure and badge of honor and authority, was now firmly tied to the ground by thorny vines.

"KYOUYA!" The blonde's followers screamed in distress, unable to believe that their leader was now in such a precarious position.

It took Kyouya a couple of attempts to stop reaching for his sword before he tried to reach for the utility knife in his boot.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Izuku's calm voice earned everyone's attention, "It is already difficult to stop you from falling into the Iron Thorns."

One look at the ground below him was all it took for the Swordsmaster to freeze.

Just above his head, a bed of long and sharp spikes awaited him. It was obvious that his armor would not protect him, and without the passive bonuses of Gram, he would probably not survive being impaled.

"Can you surrender?" Izuku asked with a mellow smile, and a sweet voice, "Please?"

The crowd began to snort, and then laugh at the scene. While Druids were indeed spellcasters, their spells were more in line with active skills, making them closer to martial classes than magic ones. Luna was openly laughing at having pieced together what had happened.

Izuku had never moved while the duel was being prepared, and had instead used his vine whips to prepare a trap.

"CHEATER!" Kyouya screamed, both full of fear for his life, and outrage at being defeated when he was supposed to be the heroic victor, "YOU CASTED A SPELL BEFORE THE DUEL STARTED!"

"You demanded a magical duel, what else did you expect?!" Megumin shouted in response, going as far as eye-posing, "To bring a sword to a magic duel, HOW LUDICROUS!"

To be honest, Izuku had no idea if his plan would properly work, or be allowed at all. But his guess was that since he hadn't cast anything between being challenged and the start of the duel, moving his vines would be considered a similar act to reading a battle stance.

"Mister Kyouya." Luna called from her spot, serving as referee for the duel, "When I asked if you understood the rules of a magic duel… you said yes."

The laughter was getting louder now, and both duelists were blushing. One felt humiliated, the other didn't know how to handle such a level of attention.

"I suggest you to take the offer to surrender, Mister Kyouya." Luna continued, using a more serious tone, "If you die to his spell… he will be free of criminal charges. And your party members will inherit your debt."

Izuku winced at that, nearly deciding to retract the Iron Thorns. Magical contracts were brutal when enforcing their contents and clauses.

Kyouya glared at Izuku for what felt like hours. His eyes screamed that the verdanette was a cheater, a coward, someone without honor… a villain…

In the end though, he surrendered. Deprived of Gram, and in a position where the only other option was a painful death, he decided to live to fight another day. When Izuku placed him down though…

"You little…" Kyouya snarled as he marched toward Izuku, his intentions obvious, even if he wasn't wielding a weapon against the Druid.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Darkness shouted as she jumped between the blond warrior and her charge.

Seeing the beautiful Crusader brandish her blade at him like he was the bad guy gave Kyouya pause. Unfortunately, his followers had a different idea.

"HOW DARE YOU TARNISH KYOUYA'S IMAGE?!" The blonde girl screamed as she appeared behind Izuku, brandishing a short sword.

The Thief had used the skill Lurk, and then decided to go for a sneak attack. Izuku had been blindsided…

But Liza hadn't.

 **CRUNCH!**

The sickening sound seized everyone's attention, just to find that the weapon had been reduced to shards.

Liza had moved so fast that no one had noticed her blur into motion, and used her unbelievable powerful jaws to shatter the sword like it was a toothpick. By the time the blonde had a chance to react to the destruction of her sword, Liza had moved again, clasping the thief's neck with her reptilian hand.

Being held high, the Thief couldn't find sufficient leverage to ease the pressure on her throat, so she started to asphyxiate. Liza didn't seem to care in the slightest, limiting herself to growl at her captive.

"Wait!" The other girl tried to intervene, but was quickly slammed into the ground face-first.

"Chika suggests you don't move." The Black Harpy was quick to say, her foot spread over the back of the girl's head with her wicked talons easily digging through the nearby stone and dirt, "Chika's talons are sharp and hard. You don't want to get cut by Chika's talons by accident."

The girl couldn't even scream as her eyes locked on the frightening scythes that were holding her down.

 _About an hour later, inside the Guild Hall…_

Kyouya and his party were currently sitting down at a table close to the counter. The three all had downcast looks of shame on their faces.

"Assaulting a fellow adventurer right after having an unnecessary duel." Luna chastised the party of self-proclaimed heroes, making them wince at being told off about their crime, "If Izuku hadn't forgiven you, you would be stripped of your licenses, and your cards would be marked. Do you understand how severe that is?"

Of course they understood. The mark the attendant was talking about would mean that they would be made outlaws, just one step away from having bounties over their heads. For Kyouya, that meant falling from the path of heroes, into the darkness of villainy.

"Now I hope you have the payment for your loss." Luna's words brought only dread to the assembled party, who had just cashed in a quest, "Magical contracts can be cancelled if both parties agree, but the contracts signed for duels, especially magic ones, cannot. Are you aware of the penalties that may be incurred if you try to cancel, or downright refuse to pay?"

The usual penalty, among mages, was having half of their mana cut, paying with their power for their stupidity. For those who didn't have enough mana, the results could be lethal.

The party of three was really nervous now. They had a grand total of fifty million eris at their disposal, but thanks to several deals with the blacksmiths, the rent of their high-class room at an expensive inn, and their overall tendency to spend large amounts of money between quests left them with only a stark future ahead.

And Kyouya wasn't just going to hand over Gram.

The best case scenario had them looking forward to three months of sleeping in the stables and eating just twice a day…

"We can pay with services, right?" The blonde girl suddenly asked, earning a raised eyebrow from the attendant.

 _Inside a private room…_

The ceremony of liberation had been a success, with the abhorrent seals that marked Chika and Liza as slaves now gone. No longer would they have to fear dying if they were separated from their master. No longer could a single command activate a source of indescribable pain. They were free. Even if they only wanted to remain in close proximity to their dear Izuku.

Izuku didn't know where to look…

"It-it's done… it's finally over…" Izuku muttered, more like a stutter, his eyes glancing everywhere in the room, except at his demi-human friends, "Now you can…"

Megumin was quick to interrupt, her adorable pout and rosy cheeks betraying her seriousness.

"Now it's my turn to work on the fake seals." Megumin said, quickly setting the ink and pencil down, "Let's start with Chika!"

Izuku grunted, feeling exhausted, though he wasn't actually doing anything in terms of the seal removal and Megumin's fabrication. Resisting the impulse to ogle the naked bodies of the ex-slave-girls was getting harder. Especially with said girls doing absolutely nothing to shy away, try to cover themselves, or even say they were uncomfortable.

The only other one sharing Izuku's unease was the petite Arch Wizard, who couldn't quite hide her envy at looking how well developed Liza was… hence why she started with Chika, who was just as flat-chested as her.

"That tickles." Chika said with a smile, having the fake seal drawn on her chest.

"Can I leave now?" Aqua asked, looking defeated upon having to perform such a heretical service, "I feel like drinking myself into oblivion right now."

Aqua hadn't expected Izuku to win the duel. She had intended to escape from her contract by having the other guy win with his divine sword, but the little Druid had a knack for thinking outside the box. She still hoped that the Swordsmaster had really meant to take her out of Izuku's party, because she wanted to be pampered, not worked to the bone.

"Do we still need her here, Megumin?" Izuku asked; glad to have something else to focus on, besides the naked bodies of his girls.

"No, her part is done." Megumin replied, finishing with the fake seal on Chika's flat chest, "Aqua, you can leave if you want. You may want to talk down that crazy guy before he attempts to do something equally idiotic."

Megumin's voice accurately described how bothered everyone was. Izuku really hadn't wanted to engage in that duel, and when the time to cash in came, he even wanted to void the need to pay. Finding how unavoidable the magic contract was had turned out to be quite the low blow for the young Druid, who felt like he had ruined innocent bystanders. All because Aqua seemingly wanted the duel to happen.

"I'll be going then." Aqua replied as she turned to walk away, before she stopped by the door, "You really don't mind if I leave the party?"

Aqua's voice carried all her hurt feelings. She was a goddess, a divine being, meant to be worshiped by the masses. The idea of not having any importance for the group hurt, especially since both Izuku and Megumin knew her identity.

"You are, and always have been, free to go if you feel uncomfortable in our party." Izuku replied, neutrally, leaving the choice completely in the hands of the blue-haired Arch Priestess.

"I see…" Aqua replied with a somber voice. Her body language spelled her intent; she was going to abandon the group.

"You are also welcome to return at any time." Izuku added, just before the bluenette opened the door to leave.

Aqua lingered there for a few seconds, but then departed the room. The atmosphere became lighter, and all the occupants let out a sigh. Izuku was actually sad, for he knew that Aqua was going to leave. He wasn't going to stop her, nor beg for her to return; he wasn't going to change to suit her needs, and he didn't expect the same from her. If she was happy in another party, then she had the right to choose that party over his.

"So…" Megumin's voice broke the chain of thoughts that was tormenting Izuku, "Which one do you like more?"

Izuku looked up at Megumin who waved towards the demi-girls, purposely pointing at their exposed breasts. The smug smile told Izuku that there was no way out of this dilemma, and he couldn't possibly come up with a correct answer. That they were nude, and seemingly enjoying how he looked at their bodies, only made things… harder… for him.

"It's ok, Master." Chika suddenly interrupted, giving little jumps in place as a show of happiness, "You still keep us both, so you can choose who makes you happier!"

Izuku knew that the choice had become even harder, especially when Liza nodded at Chika's words. Megumin impatiently tapping her foot wasn't helping, at all.

 _A little bit later…_

Izuku finally managed to escape the room. He was visibly flustered, blushing like a tomato and feeling like a pervert.

"Not a word." Izuku said to his girls, who nodded without hesitation, or stopping happily smiling.

Once it became obvious he couldn't answer the impossible question, Megumin decided to push things further with a mischievous smile. Pushing Chika close to the blushing Druid, she had requested that he take a closer look, and when Chika had agree to such, she had taken his hand to grope the breasts of the Black Harpy.

As expected of a virgin with great respect for women, he had tried to bolt away, tripping over his own feet, and landing face-first… on Liza's breasts.

The albino Gator-girl limited herself to patiently caressing his hair while he regained his footing. Izuku had developed a nosebleed by then, and his brain had nearly short-circuited, when Chika decided that the instigator should join too! After all, the avian girl said, she had already slept with them. Megumin soon found out that having Izuku's hands on her flat chest felt… oddly satisfying, and incredibly embarrassing.

"Not a word." Megumin repeated, blushing almost as much as the young hero.

Chika and Liza, now fully dressed, acted like nothing weird had happened.

Walking to their usual table, Izuku didn't fail to notice that their familiar Arch Priestess-shaped headache was now absent. Izuku also didn't fail to notice that one of Kyouya's followers was occupying Aqua's place…

"Umm… hello?" Izuku greeted as he sat down at the table, closely followed by his equally confused group, "Did something happen?"

The question had been directed to Darkness, who was sitting there in stunned silence. It took several seconds for the perverted Crusader to even begin to react. There was a shudder, a sigh, and then a face-palm…

"This girl…" Darkness began, taking a weird tone, as if trying to show pity, but unable to stop feeling pleasure, "Was left behind by their party as payment!"

In less than a second, Darkness got a vine wrapped around her head, specifically covering her mouth.

"So…" Izuku began, again, this time looking at the girl, "What happened?"

Now that he could look at her more closely, Izuku could notice her pink hair, childish facial features, and of course, how revealing her outfit was. The eyes of the girl in question gleamed with unshed tears, and it was obvious that she was fighting her need to cry.

"This is your entire fault, you cheater!" The girl finally replied, "If you hadn't cheated in that duel, I wouldn't be here, and Kyouya's name wouldn't have been ridiculed!"

"First, Izuku is not a cheater. He is a Druid, and fought like a Druid; the other guy was at fault for not expecting the obvious." Megumin was quick to defend Izuku, quickly followed by energetic nods from both Chika and Liza, "Second, you still need to answer his question. Why are you here? We were expecting that ridiculous sword, or a sack of gold."

The pinkette was taken aback, and looked ready to start a verbal fight. But then her demeanor changed, giving the impression of being left without strength.

"I signed a contract to pay instead of Kyouya." The girl finally replied; while she wasn't loud, the surrounding adventurers quieted all of a sudden, "He and the others went to take quests to gather the money. While they do so, I'll work for you, paying the debt bit by bit."

Izuku had a shocked look on his face, and Megumin seemed to share the same sentiment. Just as quickly as he had gagged the masochistic Crusader, he removed the vine silencing her. Darkness looked more upset at having her new toy removed than for being silenced in the first place.

"Tell me this is a joke!" Izuku nearly begged to the only one who could dispel this horrible scenario.

"I'm afraid it is not." Darkness replied in all seriousness, "I can't believe she is this lucky!"

Izuku wisely decided to ignore the now babbling blonde Crusader.

"Okay… let's clarify a few things." Izuku started, giving a worried look to the pink haired girl, who still looked ready to start crying, "What do you mean by working for me?"

Izuku was understandably worried about all of this. First, what kind of bastard left a girl as payment for a debt of such caliber? Second, what kind of person agreed to shoulder such a burden? And third, what the hell did he do to deserve this?!

"Don't get any weird ideas, you freaking demi-lover!" The girl shouted while leaning away from him, while crossing her arms in front of her chest, as if trying to protect her virtue, "This is only a formality! Kyouya is surely about to finish his quest and walk in with the money to free me from your filthy hands!"

Izuku, unable to comprehend what was going on, turned to Megumin for help.

"That probably means that she is shouldering the clause of the magical contract. Everything she earns, will be given to you as compensation, at least until the debt is paid in full." Megumin's explanation finally answered the main problem, and then she continued, "Demi-lover is an imperial slur. It means someone who loves demi-humans like they were humans… it doesn't hold too much weight in this kingdom though."

Izuku quickly understood that it was still some sort of insult. He decided to take it as a badge of honor though.

"Alright… I'm done with today." Izuku finally recognized his exhaustion, surprising the pinkette, but earning nods of approval from the rest of his party, "Let's go to our room to get as much rest as possible. Tomorrow…"

Izuku took a moment to look at his party, and then take a look at the newcomer. The Pinkette was taking turns between glaring at him, and looking at the entrance of the guild, obviously expecting the Swordsmaster to enter with a sack full of gold to rescue her.

"You know what? We can use a free day after everything we went through." Izuku's words shocked his girls and the perverted Crusader, who had expected yet another day full of work from their leader, "Tomorrow we laze around and simply have fun together!"

Cheers followed his declaration.

Izuku decided that no one should suffer for the aftermath of the duel. A duel that had left him scarred.

No one had gotten hurt, arrested, or worse. And still, he felt dirty. Izuku had taken from someone through right of conquest, an archaic concept that went against his core values, and because of that, one girl was now left in utter despair. It didn't take a genius to understand that the girl had been abandoned.

Izuku couldn't help but wonder why that guy, Kyouya, didn't offer all his money, his gear, or even work off the debt himself. It was pretty obvious that the bastard wasn't going to come back, not when it meant losing everything to save someone who meant so little as to leave behind over money.

"It's okay… Kyouya is already on his way back…" The girl muttered to herself while looking down at the empty table, "Any minute now… he is going to come through that door… with a smile on his face…"

Her vision was beginning to cloud over with tears. She couldn't understand why. Why her, and not the other girl. Was it due to her skill at opening locks? Or… did she have better skills in romance? Maybe Kyouya really liked her more seductive antics? Her lack of decorum? Or… was the bluenette the replacement she had feared all this time?

As the pinkette began to fade into the darkness of her own mind, a plate full of fried frog appeared before her.

"Izuku bought this for you, miss." One of the waiters announced, earning the attention of the pinkette, "He also said that when Kyouya returns, you can look for him in the inn across the plaza."

The pinkette nodded in confusion, trying to rationalize this outcome as a cheap trick to gain her trust. She still ate the food though, as she hadn't had a chance to eat since returning from the previous quest.

 _Next day, late morning…_

Izuku and company arrived at the guild hall, not to take quests, or to barter for goods. They just wanted a quick bite to eat before moving to the shopping district, pay a visit to Wiz, and finally waste time relaxing in order to gather strength for their next quest-taking spree.

They didn't expect to find the pinkette sitting at their table, much less see her with bags under her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Izuku meekly asked after a few minutes of silence.

The girl pouted, really hard, as if trying to resist. But in the end she gave in, and began to answer.

"I had to sleep in the stables. It was horrible!" The girl said, her voice sounding somewhat distressed.

"The stables?" Megumin asked, horrified at the news, "Didn't your party rent a room at the inn?"

The petite Arch Wizard knew very well that sleeping in the stables was very dangerous. Girls needed to sleep in groups, or have trustworthy male companions, as there was no shortage of perverts in Axel. Such a danger was exactly why she had opted to sleep inside a hollowed tree trunk.

"Kyouya left town yesterday, he returned his key." The haunted reply told its own story, one that revealed how little hope the girl held now about being saved, "Kyouya left me… he didn't even leave me any money to buy food…"

As tears began to flow from the eyes of the broken girl, Izuku and his girls exchanged glances, worried looks now intertwined with glances full of pity. Without exchanging a single word, the party came to an agreement.

"Why don't you order something? My treat." Izuku suddenly said while handing the menu to the girl.

"The magical contract may drain any eris you earn, but we can still give you anything you need." Darkness offered, knowing now by heart how Izuku managed the team.

"We'll have to go over a couple of rules though, like the sleeping arrangement." Megumin added, noticing the flinch of the pinkette, as well as the lack of verbal rebuttal, "But that can wait."

Izuku's chuckle forced the girl to finally look at him, at his face… his eyes. The boy looked sincere, even more than Kyouya.

"Yesterday we met under bad pretenses; let's start again." Izuku said, reaching out for a handshake, "My name is Izuku Midoriya, and I'm a Druid, nice to meet you."

The girl was taken aback. She actually expected this party to start laughing at how she was abandoned, her current helplessness, and the fact that she was at their mercy.

Instead they all seemed to be ready to help her stand once more after such a disgraceful fall.

"I'm Megumin of the Crimson Demon Clan." Megumin presented herself, not failing to make a pose.

"My name is Darkness, The Sword of Izuku!" Darkness decided to join the Chunni act… at least, Izuku hoped it was an act.

"Chika!" The black harpy revealed her name to the new girl.

"I… Liza." Izuku decided that it was the best the gator-girl was willing to say.

"I…" The pinkette started, seemingly overwhelmed by the warm welcome, "My name is Aela… nice to meet you."

As Aela took Izuku's hand, the boy decided that he was going to do everything in his power… to make Kyouya regret his choices.

* * *

 **Magnus:** For those of you wondering, Aqua is not yet beyond redeeming.


	10. Green Unleashed

**Magnus:** Finally managed to finish it, after countless interruptions and being trapped by Monster Hunter World! Hopefully you'll enjoy Izuku's first real fight.

 **Disclaimer:** I may or may not give Izuku something similar to an Insect Glaive in later chapters.

 **This chapter has been Beta'ed by Vandenbz.**

 **Edit: The cover belongs to Eins-to-Erin. Please visit his profile in Deviantart.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 **Green Unleashed**

Aela was having trouble reaching a solid opinion about her new party leader. On one hand, she hated him; having seeing her beloved Kyouya humiliated by the underhanded tactics of the green-haired Druid filled her heart with dark thoughts. On the other hand, she couldn't help but to admire him as he had a devotion to his party members rarely seen before; showcased by how he had taken to heart knowing them, not just their strengths and weaknesses, as well as planning for all contingencies the party might face in the field.

Unlike Kyouya, who hardly remembered her name, much less her class and skills.

Aela also noticed certain similarities, like both male leaders being surrounded by an all-female party. Unlike Kyouya, though, the young Druid seemed aware of the feelings of his companions, and had accepted them. She had mixed feelings about this; Kyouya seemed to avoid any level of romance when she and the Thief were together, but had agreed to take her to his tent in the night, while the other girl wasn't present.

The mental image of the other girl getting the same treatment made her shiver.

"So, what class are you?" Izuku asked to the pinkette, bringing her back to the present with a start, "If you have a specialty you need to tell me too. Having the right tools and equipment is key out there."

The pink-haired girl grumbled a little bit, not knowing if she was still upset about being questioned, or pleased at being noticed and considered part of the group.

"I'm a Ranger…" Aela's answer was barely loud enough to be clearly understood.

She noticed the puzzled expressions of the Druid and his party, getting flashbacks to the day she met Kyouya. Back then she was ready to do anything to impress the Hero, to claim him as her own. The Thief had more to show though, flaunting not only her feminine assets, but her skill at lock-picking, stealth, trap-disarmament and appraising.

The only thing she could present was her ability to recognize the properties of plants she touched, and never get lost… in the wilds…

"Another expert of the wilderness then?" Darkness asked, making the pinkette wince. Redundancy is what most likely made Kyouya choose her as the sacrifice, and it would probably lower her worth for this party too.

The Druid was obviously a much better choice as an expert of the wilderness than she'd ever be.

"What about the specialty?" The diminutive Arch Wizard asked, to which the pinkette averted her eyes, "Something you are good at?"

There were things she was good at, of course, but she wasn't better than anyone else.

"I have good dexterity…" Aela began, voice growing fainter as she tried to continue, "I can set basic traps… and cook simple things…"

She was level fifteen. She should have been better at her specialties. Maybe even reach an advanced class…

Traveling with Kyouya had hurt her growth. She was aware of that now. But at the time that didn't seem to matter at all. She and the thief had no need to do other things than field support and carrying light loads, setting camp, and being praised for their moral support. Kyouya had done almost everything on every quest they had taken; from killing the target, to destroying impossible obstacles.

She doubted the Druid would settle for a cheerleader.

"A sniper then?" Izuku asked, showing a kind smile that made the pinkette grimace, "We can certainly benefit from ranged support and someone who can actually cook."

The Druid had great expectations of her then?

"I agree." The little Crimson Demon added, making the girl in question feel bad, "Someone who can shoot arrows at things that escape our Crusader will be great!"

"No one has ever passed me." The blonde Crusader suddenly said, startling Aela as she thought some rebuttal would come, "It would be great to eat more things than berries when out in the field though. No offense, but jerky is not the best way to eat meat."

Aela couldn't take it anymore. This wasn't an interview to get into a much-desired party. This was a review of her skills to survive the burden she so foolishly took from Kyouya's shoulders!

"WAIT!"

Aela's shout got everyone's attention, including those outside the party.

"I can use a bow, that's true." The pinkette said as she began to fidget, "But I need time to line up the shot… and I get easily tired of holding the arrow in position…"

Aela felt the eyes of the Druid's party land as one on her, so she looked down before continuing.

"I can set traps…" The voice of the Ranger was becoming even smaller, "But they can only hold tiny animals…"

Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes, feeling completely useless against a party that had to be top notch in order to have been able to defeat the great Kyouya.

"And I barely know how to make sandwiches and juice…"

Aela, without needing to look at the Druid, could tell that she would be sent to the market to sell things at some random stand. Perhaps being used as an extra waitress at the guild if lucky enough. In her mind and heart she knew she was to blame for her mediocre skillset, that she should have trained, even if Kyouya didn't need the help.

"I see." Izuku spoke, taking a thinking pose, "A crossbow should help you then."

Aela blinked in confusion. She wasn't expecting support or understanding of any kind.

"The rest only needs to be trained with time and patience." Izuku's judgment had been surprisingly kind, seeing the rest of the party nod in acceptance was also quite the oddity too.

"Izuku! Izuku!" Megumin suddenly called for their attention, with sparks on her eyes, "Why don't you design a crossbow for her?"

"A weapon created by Master?" The Black Harpy asked in her whispery voice, still making the skin of the pink-haired Ranger crawl, "That's going to be awesome!"

"I can make the blueprints." Izuku replied, trying to downplay his skills, "But I'll have to commission it with the dwarves."

That statement confused Aela.

The only ones who could make better bows than the elves were the druids, as they could command the wood and the cord to take any shape and have any features they wanted. Making crossbows should have been within the skills of this particular Druid too, so it made little sense to commission such a thing with the dwarves.

"Getting a mess kit would be useful too." Darkness added, her mind quickly remembering that while raw natural food was good, cooked meals were still better to her, "No offense, but having proper cooked meals would be great if we get on a prolonged mission."

"I can only make sandwiches though…" Aela repeated in a low voice, trying to avoid setting high expectations.

"None taken." Izuku replied with a smile before he got serious, "Now to address your accuracy problem, Darkness."

The smile that was adorning the face of the blond Crusader disappeared, now replaced with a grimace.

 _About an hour later_ _…_

Behind one of the blacksmith's shops, in a small zone designated to test weapons, the young Druid and his party members were gathered.

 **TWACK!**

Aela fired a light crossbow, scoring a rather decent hit on the target ahead.

"This is actually easier to use than a bow." The pinkette muttered as she reloaded the weapon, "Less tiresome too."

 **TWACK!**

Firing another bolt, and getting slightly closer to the very center of the target, she began to remember all the times Kyouya told her to take it easy and practice with the bow; to take her time, because he really didn't need her to grow fast. That, and he didn't need help fighting.

Seeing her aim getting better, she couldn't help but to question Kyouya's wisdom.

"I know I told you that I love being humiliated…" Darkness' voice forced the Ranger's attention to shift away from her own training, "But I refuse to use something so unrefined!"

The blonde Crusader no longer wielded a well-crafted long sword; instead, in her left hand she was wearing a large round shield, while her right hand held a wooden club. Both items made by the green-haired Druid.

"It's just for a test, Darkness." Izuku replied in a placating voice, "Your weapon of choice requires you to allocate skill points into accuracy due to its finesse and martial attributes. Maces and Clubs only require your strength to be effective."

The young Druid seemed so meek that Aela couldn't help but to wonder how Kyouya lost to him.

"As a Crusader of Eris, I must maintain an image of elegance and discipline." Darkness began to say in a solemn voice, just to start waving the club in her right hand wildly, "This is just barbaric!"

The club she was wielding wasn't just a shaped piece of wood. Izuku had created it by growing one of his vine whips, giving it an ergonomic handle in addition to a uniformly and balanced hardened body that grew towards the head in a perfectly symmetric shape, all covered in wicked thorns, spread about in regular intervals and geometric patterns.

"And the shield?" Darkness continued, this time hitting the shield with the club, creating a powerful sound that left little doubt about her strength, "How am I supposed to enjoy being hit while wielding one?"

The shield was made with two hardened vines that had been coiled into themselves, giving it a rather beautiful spiraling pattern. The wicked thorns that littered the front and edge gave it the brutal and barbaric look that the Crusader seemed to dislike so much though.

Aela blinked a couple of times, trying to focus on the type of plant used to make the items.

"Darkness, you are a Crusader, you are supposed to use a shield." Izuku's voice carried wisdom and kindness to a level the Ranger was not used to hear, "If you don't want to use it to protect yourself, then at least use it to protect those weaker than you."

"Wait…" Aela's voice suddenly caught their attention, "Is that Iron Bark?"

"I think they look good on you, Darkness." Megumin raised her voice, masking the question of the Ranger, "Since they look menacing, only the strongest will try to hit you."

As Darkness started to murmur about new possibilities for her, Aela began to notice that, indeed, the shield and club were made of iron bark, just not the one carved by elves, but one naturally grown. That meant that the young Druid was far more capable than he seemed to be.

"Fine!" Darkness nearly shouted, a blush adorning her face as she felt like becoming the laughingstock of the guild for using such crude looking weapons, "I'll give this setup a try. But if it doesn't work, then I'm returning to my long sword!"

For just a moment, Darkness held an aristocratic visage that was borderline arrogant. It disappeared when Liza stepped in front of her. Darkness raised a brow in honest confusion, unable to read the stoic face of the gator-girl.

"Is… something the matter?" Darkness asked, sounding rather neutral, much to the surprise of the pink-haired Ranger, "Do you need something?"

One second, that was all Darkness got to ready herself for a strike.

Liza, quick as a flash, had raised her massive tail, spun on her feet, and slammed the scaly appendage on the blonde Crusader, who instinctively raised the verdant shield.

 **BOOM!**

The sound of the resulting collision had been so strong that the owner of the smithy had come out to check on what had happened.

"Oi!" The dwarf shouted in distress, "No breaking my weapons without buying them first!"

Taking a moment to calm down, he and the rest of the party looked at what actually had happened. The shield had withstood the impact, and Darkness had been pushed back a couple of inches. The blonde Crusader was actually looking shyly over the shield, wide eyes looking at Liza with a rare glint.

Aela didn't know what was more impressive. If the fact that a wooden shield had withstood such a brutal impact, or that the tail of the gator-girl was still unscratched after colliding with such a brutal looking shield.

"Master… strong!" Liza said, pointing at the shield, "You… say thanks!"

While obviously her way of showing off her Master's providence, Izuku couldn't help but to think she was a little overzealous. He was still going to scratch her chin in a show of appreciation though.

Darkness looked from her shield-arm to the gator-girl. That had hurt, a lot.

"Liza!" Darkness shouted as she saw that the albino had turned to walk to her Master.

Liza's unreadable face turned to look at the Crusader, and Aela thought for a moment that the aristocratic girl was about to demand compensation. A lowly demi-human had attacked her after all!

"Do it again!" Darkness added as she began to breathe in an unsightly way.

Aela was dumbstruck by the scene.

"Chika thinks blondie is wrong in the head." The Black Harpy quietly spoke in her raspy whispers, even if everyone was able to hear her, "That is not right."

Izuku only gave a nervous laugh, happier to see that the shield had actually worked much better than intended compared to anything else.

"Chika is not wrong." Megumin seconded, although she actually looked afraid, "That… was enough to shatter the bones of a Bugbear chieftain…"

Aela knew that such a feat would be deadly for an unprotected human. Worse still, she could tell that the reptilian albino hadn't used all of her strength. That fact meant that her bite would be far more deadly.

That also meant that the Thief had gotten off easy… this demi-human could have torn her to pieces in the blink of an eye!

" **Emergency! This is an emergency!** **"**

All the loudspeakers around the city flared up to life at the same time, broadcasting the message of the Guild. The announcement also interrupted what Izuku's party was doing.

" **All able adventurers, and everyone capable of fighting, head to the main gate immediately! I repeat** **…"**

As the distressed message began to repeat, Izuku exchanged glances with everyone, none seemed any less confused than him.

 _A minute later, at the gates of Axel_ _…_

"WHO WAS THE KNAVE WHO DESTROYED MY FORTRESS?!"

Izuku and company watched in stunned silence as the headless knight screamed in outrage at the assembled adventurers, many of which were trembling in absolute horror.

They were looking at an undead powerful enough to stand before them in the middle of the day.

"WHERE IS THE IMBECILE WHO RAINED FIRE UPON MY LAIR WITHOUT HAVING THE DECENCY OF INTRODUCING THEMSELVES?!"

Murmurs full of fear were blooming here and there, no one sure what the powerful undead before them could mean. Then, among the murmurs, some people from the Guild recognized the figure accosting them.

It was Beldia, a General of the Devil King.

Izuku felt a knot forming in his stomach. The undead mentioning a destroyed fortress sounded too close to home to his liking. One quick glance to his petite Arch Wizard companion was all it took for him to understand that he and his party were to blame.

Megumin was doing everything in her power to look away.

"IF YOU DON'T COME OUT…" Beldia continued shouting, getting to the point of hysteria and rage, "I'LL RAZE THIS TOWN TO THE GROUND, AND ADD EVERY SOUL TO MY LEGION OF THE DAMNED!"

Fear and despair washed over every adventurer present. The threat was way too real, and most of the adventurers hadn't seen a challenge this big in their entire lives. Only the high-ranking adventurers could claim to have enough strength to face a General of the Devil King.

Megumin was trembling; this had to be her fault. There hadn't been any fortresses destroyed in a blast since she tested her new spell, which means that it had been her Big Bang that caused this development. Steeling her own resolve to shoulder this in the most glorious way possible, she took a step forward…

Just to be stopped by Izuku's hand.

"Mister!" Izuku called out, voice slightly wavering due to the panic of both getting the attention of such a foe, and the lack of a plan. "Mister, uhm…"

His body had moved without thinking, again.

Not that he regretted protecting Megumin and his girls… and his friends… or the whole town.

"Uh?" Beldia seemed taken aback for a moment, "Beldia. I'm Beldia, general of the Devil King."

Izuku finally noticed that the headless knight was actually holding his own head with one hand.

"And who approaches me?" The question of the powerful undead threw Izuku for a loop; he almost expected to have to evade an attack.

"Me?" Izuku allowed his nerves to show a bit, "I'm Izuku, a novice Druid."

There was a moment of silence as both undead and Druid stood there, watching one another. Izuku knew that this enemy was way stronger than anything he had faced before, that he was not ready for combat on this level. Beldia was now slightly wary; the Devil King himself had warned him and the others to not take Druids lightly, because no one knew when the world itself would come to their aid.

"Maybe if you explain what happened…" Izuku continued when he saw that there was no open hostility, at least for now, "We could… help you?"

Another moment of silence filled the field, everyone waiting for the response of the fearsome undead.

"I…" Beldia began to speak… and then, his demeanor seemed to change, "… may have started off on the wrong foot here."

Izuku blinked in surprise.

"Certainly I was going overboard for a moment there, how unsightly." Beldia lamented, much to Izuku's surprise, "But you have to understand that losing such a perfect fortress, let alone the resources I had stored there, without receiving a proper challenge is incredibly rude!"

"I can imagine." Izuku conceded, and then he remembered that he knew who the culprit was, and that he had helped her.

"Day after day after day I had to return to my fortress just to find new holes and scorched walls." Beldia began to narrate his woes.

One little girl dressed in red was suddenly at the side of the Druid, and was very quick to interrupt.

"That was my fault!" Megumin shouted, surprising everyone, especially Izuku, "I had to practice my Explosion magic, and that big and hard thing was the perfect target!"

"THAT WAS YOU?!" Beldia roared in anger, "DID YOU EVEN CHECKED BEFORE FIRING AWAY?!"

"I did!" Chika flew by the side of her master, earning winces from everyone, even the Dullahan.

"Chika flew over the castle every time." Chika added, returning to her raspy whispers, "There were only dumb skellies there; not even a wand weaver to order them around."

Izuku moved without thinking again, pushing both petite girls behind him.

"You three are together?" Beldia asked, for a moment remembering the time when he was a chivalrous knight, full of love for his maiden… a love betrayed in the name of a dumb religion.

Three heads nodding were enough of an answer for the undead general. The eyes full of determined love in the face of the young Druid more than enough to drown his ire.

"So, bombarding my castle was the result of my butler not being out in the open…" Belida lowly said, going unheard by those reunited, "I understand. I'll forgive you this time."

Izuku let out a loud sigh of relief, and then he saw the Dullahan pointing at him while leveling a stern glare his way.

"But you better keep your girlfriend on a short leash!" Beldia's words made the Druid and the Arch Wizard blush, "And make your slave search more thoroughly next time!"

Chika pouted, but otherwise said nothing.

"I still intend to leave with the head of the idiot who blew up my castle, though." Beldia's next words froze everyone.

"But we already…" Megumin began to raise her voice.

"I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT YOUR PETTY EXPLOSIONS!" Beldia interrupted with a shout. He may have been enchanted by the image of these two lovebirds, but he was going to get revenge.

Izuku quickly covered Megumin's mouth before she could say too much.

"My home was not destroyed with Explosion magic." Beldia clarified, gaining the attention of the adventurers, "I was returning from my previous lair, carrying precious heraldry and decorations so that my new castle would be up to the standards of a General of the Devil King's army."

Beldia knew very well each and every piece. Portraits, large pictures and statuettes of a nude woman he knew all too well. Heartwarming pieces of pure art that made him feel alive… all of them now turned to dust.

"There was a light, intense and hot. It erased the entire terrain, incinerating everything in its way." Beldia explained, leveling a deathly glare toward the adventurers, "I was sent flying for a few miles away. That was the power of a relic weapon, and I want the fool that used it against my home!"

Megumin was unsure if she should feel honored that her Big Bang spell was considered in the same category as the power of a Relic Weapon, or insulted at not being given the credit for such a level of destruction.

"Wait, was that Kyouya?"

Murmurs began to erupt again.

"Must have been Kyouya, he is the only one with a Relic Weapon in this town."

The murmurs became louder, easily heard now by the Dullahan and the Druid.

"Must have been pissed off by losing that duel."

While Izuku was against the very idea of blaming someone else for his mistakes, this time he considered it a tactical decision. The blond Swordsmaster was not in the vicinity, which meant that the Dullahan would not have his battle today; at most, he would issue a challenge to the guy, to which Izuku would later apologize and even offer his assistance when going to fight this formidable foe.

"I see." Beldia's voice commanded silence, "So the imbecile has a name. Where is this fool now?"

Something in the Dullahan's voice placed Izuku on edge. The undead General wanted blood.

"I can answer that!" Luna was the one to speak, showing that she was far more than just a Guild attendant, "Kyouya left town yesterday, taking an urgent quest near the mountain range."

That was a lie, and Aela knew it. Her dear Kyouya didn't take any quests, she had asked, which means that he simply left the town to find wealth elsewhere.

Izuku began to send his vines into the ground. One side glance to Chika, and the Black Harpy tensed in anticipation.

"Ah, I understand." Beldia's cordial tone held a somber tinge to it, "Your local hero was summoned to fix some sort of crisis."

Izuku's vines had popped off at the feet of Liza and Darkness. Both powerhouses quickly understood that their leader was getting ready, and so should they.

"I guess I'll just have to make the fort near the river my new home." Beldia continued, directing his gaze toward Izuku and Megumin, "Hopefully this time there will not be more… unwelcome Explosion training."

The Druid and the petite Crimson Demon nodded.

"Now is there anyone here who personally knows this Kyouya?" Beldia sweetly asked, "I wouldn't want my message to fail to reach him."

As one, hundreds of fingers pointed to a horrified pinkette. The girl in question felt betrayed, and Izuku felt like the town had thrown one of their own to the wolves with no remorse.

The novice Ranger missed how a little vine poked out of the ground beneath her feet.

"Very well." Beldia was now directly looking at the horror-stricken girl, "I want you to tell him that he has five days, starting from today, to go and face me at my new home, or else…"

The Dullahan lifted his free hand, now covered in a mass of darkness, pointing it at the girl.

"You will die!" The undead General shouted as the mass of darkness shot from his hand, flying incredibly fast toward the unprepared girl.

Then… a miracle happened.

A wall of thorns shot up from the ground, intercepting the mass of darkness. The plant died instantly, leaving behind a dry thorny bush. Aela was now on her butt, staring dumbfounded at the plant that had saved her life. She didn't need high intelligence to know what had happened. This was the work of a Druid.

The Ranger and the undead General turned to look at the young Druid. The boy had the hood of his robe up, slightly hiding his face, leaving only glowing emerald eyes to be seen.

"I won't let you harm anyone." Izuku's voice resounded with power, something new for the group of adventurers watching this development.

"Now this is rare." Beldia said as he finally dismounted his headless horse, quick to take his massive sword in his free hand, "I never thought that this city of beginners would house two heroes."

Darkness and Liza moved to flank Izuku's sides, getting ready for a confrontation that was probably well above their rank. One was baring her fangs in barely-contained rage; the other was brandishing a thorny round shield.

"Or perhaps… since the other boy left town after testing his weapon…" Beldia paused, seemingly for dramatic purposes, "It is you who is the true Hero of this town."

Beldia menacingly pointed his massive blade at Izuku. That was Chika's signal to act.

"KKUUUUUEEEEEEEE!" Chika's exceedingly loud cry was enough to make all the adventurers and the Dullahan flinch. The Black Harpy used this distraction to grab Megumin with her talons, making sure not to hurt her, and quickly fly behind the wall of adventurers.

"That wasn't normal…" Beldia muttered to himself, "What kind of Harpy does that?"

"Kyouya isn't here, so there is no need to fight." Izuku called to everyone's attention, still feeling bad for pinning this on the blond warrior, "Leave."

Beldia snorted in amusement.

"A Hero indeed." Beldia loudly stated, "It'll be an honor to have your head instead."

The real reason to reside near this town of beginners was to look out for a rising hero. The Devil King had felt the hand of the gods moving, which means that a potential hero had been chosen. Beldia felt it his duty to deliver the head of this wannabe to his lord.

"Of course, now that I have found a Hero…" Beldia narrowed his eyes, never losing sight of the Druid, "I will first break your spirit!"

From the shadow of the undead General, a horde of lesser undead warriors materialized, rotten carcasses with trapped souls that made Izuku feel sick.

"Now go, my minions!" Beldia motioned for his troops to advance, "Go and kill everyone! Men and women, the children and the elderly!"

The Dullahan watched intently from his position, how the Druid didn't move, not even turning around to look at the horde of undead. Not even when they all passed by his side… and the side of the strong women by his side.

' _Why isn_ _'_ _t he moving?_ _'_ Beldia's thoughts were answered when the undead horde passed a little behind his query.

 **SHHHIIINNKK!**

A massive spike came out from the ground, impaling an undead warrior, keeping it in place.

 **SHINK! SHINK! SHINK!**

Then another, and another. Then three more and then five at a time. Soon the entire field looked like it belonged in Walachia.

"You… you were casting this entire time…" Beldia said in awe at the way his army had been obliterated in one attack, "But how is it that you can cast World of Thorns?"

The spell the General mentioned was well known for being of very high level, something that only the leaders of the druidic circles should be able to do. That meant that this boy was even more dangerous that he thought.

"I'm not done yet." Izuku softly replied.

Then all the corpses that were impaled began to grow flowers, flowers that gave a rather beautiful bluish glow.

"Those are Mana Eaters!" Luna's voice carried over the field.

Mana Eaters were a rare kind of flower that only grew on sites rich with mana; they were highly coveted due to their mana-depleting properties, which helped to ease the rare condition known as mana sickness. Lucky gatherers could find a dozen of these flowers per year…

Izuku had produced thousands of them in the blink of the eye.

"You…" Beldia was starting to get concerned, "I have to kill you now!"

While this spell, rare as it was, did not purify the undead like holy magic, it could destroy the anchoring that kept the souls bound to the undead bodies, releasing the souls out of his control. He couldn't allow that, that's why he leaped at the Druid, fully intending to take advantage of the fact he couldn't move while maintaining this complicated spell.

"I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!" Darkness shouted as she leaped between the two, using her shield to stop the massive blade.

 **BAM!**

"What in the world?!" Beldia shouted in disbelief as his sword bounced back from the wooden shield.

A moment of silence took place as the General and the Crusader stood against each other.

"Hey!" Darkness shouted in disapproval, looking back at the Druid, "I hardly felt that!"

"What?" Beldia was taken aback by the words shouted, "I've cleaved countless shields, both metal and iron bark made. How many gods blessed that thing?!"

Izuku wisely decided not to comment on the shield, instead focusing his attention on the battle.

"Liza, don't let that horse interfere." The order was said through clenched teeth, it was obvious to everyone that the young hero was concentrating on keeping the undead horde trapped.

The headless horse he'd mentioned had begun to charge against Darkness, attempting to blindside the Crusader. Liza was quick to tackle the creature to the ground, and then, proceeded to tear it apart.

It only took one second for the gator-girl to turn the undead animal into bloody chunks of rotten meat.

"That's not normal…" Beldia muttered to himself again, "What is she? A Dragonewt?"

"After we are done here, I demand something that fits my needs!" Darkness shouted as she readied herself for battle.

Beldia decided to finish this girl at once, lest the Druid complete whatever he was doing.

"It's time to end this!" Beldia shouted as he launched his severed head upwards, where a fiery eye formed, "Let's see if you can survive this!"

With that, the undead General launched his assault. With his head suspended in the air, he could see the battlefield with a much more beneficial perspective; this gave him an unfair advantage against warriors who attacked him, because he could see all their moves, and move accordingly.

This time, however, he was facing a tank. The girl in question was not attacking, instead, she solely focused on stopping his attacks, stubbornly preventing his body from reaching the Druid. Slashes from every angle, forward lunges, even pommel strikes. Nothing could break the infuriating shield.

Then his head finally fell down, right into his free hand.

"Ludicrous!" Beldia shouted, "This is supposed to be a town of beginners!"

"Don't stop attacking me!" The blonde Crusader shouted, unhappy with the attacks no longer being directed at her.

Then she swung her spiked club against her opponent, for the first time in the battle.

"Like that crude thing could…" Beldia commented as he moved his enormous blade to block the wooden thing.

 **BAM!**

And he stumbled back two steps.

"What?!" The incredulity in the voice of the undead General was only matched by the awe of every adventurer watching, "What is that thing made of?"

The gathered adventurers were more amazed at the sight of Darkness actually hitting SOMETHING.

Darkness looked from the stunned Dullahan to her spiked club, and then looked toward Izuku.

"Izuku! Izuku!" the blonde was unbelievably happy, "I managed to land a hit!"

Feeling outraged for being ignored, Beldia moved to strike… only to feel killing intent behind him; it was on the level of a Dragon…

"GGRRAAAAAA!" The raging warcry came from Liza who had herself launched forward, ready to tear apart the Dullahan like she did the horse.

"What the?!" The Dullahan used both his instinct and combat reflexes to avoid getting grappled by the demi-human, but the girl had managed to catch his arm.

 **CRUNCH!**

With her powerful jaws.

' _NOT NORMAL!_ _'_ Beldia shouted on his mind.

He was not unaware of the gator-kin and their powerful bodies, but this girl, this slave, surpassed that level of strength by a lot. His armguard was getting destroyed, and he couldn't shake her off.

"I'm almost ready!" Izuku shouted, earning the attention of the Dullahan, "Be ready to jump away from my spell!"

That was it. This was all to immobilize him, so the high-level spell couldn't miss.

Too bad for the young Druid he still had one last card to play.

"Then… this will end it." Beldia ominously said, "Vorpal Strike!"

In an instant, the body of the undead General turned into dense fog, which darted towards the immobile Druid. The Dullahan materialized right in front of him, far from the stupidly strong girls he was struggling with, and then plunged his sword into the chest of the meddling hero.

"Izuku!" Darkness shouted, horrified by the sight of her charge being murdered before her very eyes. She was quickly drowning in guilt, but when she tried to move to avenge her leader, Liza's strong clawed hand grasped her shoulder. Looking back, she just saw the gator-girl shake her head decisively.

"You were a worthy opponent." Beldia stated, reverting to his knightly tone, "But your adventure ends here."

"Is that so?" Izuku asked, quite unlike someone who had a massive sword impaling his chest, "You sing victory when you are within my grasp?"

The mockery in the voice of the Druid was the result of his well-planned strategy.

"What?" Beldia nearly shouted.

The hood moved slightly up, the green glow of the emerald eyes revealed itself to be fireflies forming tiny orbs, the head nothing but a mass of knotted vines. In fact, there wasn't blood on the sword; instead, vines were starting to envelop the weapon, much to the distress of the Dullahan.

"Like hell I'm allowing you to…" The shout of the undead General died as he failed to jump back, vines stronger than steel were holding his feet in place. He couldn't even remove his sword from the vines.

' _When did he make the change?_ _'_ Beldia thought in distress as he kept struggling. The entire body he had been targeting was nothing but a mass of thorny vines all along. And he couldn't escape.

The skill, Vorpal Strike, had a pretty long cooldown, meaning that he had no way to use it to move around. Worse still, he needed to be able to move his sword to activate it, which was impossible at the moment.

One quick look around, and things started to become clear.

In front of the gathered adventurers, the Druid, without his robe, was standing at the side of the petite girl that the Harpy had spirited away. That cry had been a powerful distraction, enough to allow the Druid to dig below his feet to escape, and leave the plants behind as a decoy.

A Druid that thought like a Rogue. That wasn't normal!

"It's our turn, Megumin!" Izuku commanded.

"Of course!" Megumin answered while striking up a pose, "Our combined might will pierce the heavens!"

It was a half-cooked plan. A Druid and an Arch Wizard were about to combine their spells in order to destroy an opponent that outclassed them. It was their only chance, because they lacked divine spells or a Relic Weapon to do the job for them.

 **"Mother nature, Ruler of Life and Death; heed my call and listen to my heart."**

Izuku began to chant, now kneeling down with his hands touching the ground.

 **"The first law of creation is destruction, and the end result of destruction is creation."**

Megumin's chant started as a sphere of light appeared before her extended hand, like a bubble containing the spell.

 **"Take the chaos and ruin before me, crush it, break it, and consume it all."**

Izuku continued as the spikes that were keeping the undead warriors began to move, creeping closer to where Beldia was being held prisoner.

"What is this?!" The Dullahan was beginning to panic since this was a spell he had no knowledge of, "What kind of sorcery is this?!"

 **"The blocks of reality, atoms, gather before me. Smaller than a droplet in the ocean, yet stronger than the hardest metal, heed my command."**

The light on Megumin's hand changed its hue, taking on a shade that was now familiar to the undead General.

"That light…" Beldia suddenly realized he had committed a terrible mistake, "Was it you?!"

 **"Throw it all into the spiraling cycle of life, twist it and mold it until beauty blossoms again!"**

The large spikes came out of the ground, revealed to be connected to massive vines that looked more like trees. The spikes themselves began to glow with magic. Izuku had changed the properties of the enlarged thorns, allowing them to reflect back energy, an attempt at containing Megumin's spell.

"NO! WAIT!" Beldia really didn't want to know how the spell was going to end, "I'll leave! I won't bother you again!"

 **"Clash against each other at speeds beyond speed. Shatter and unleash all the energy that created you!"**

Megumin reached the climax of her chant, making the sphere look almost like pure liquid power.

Izuku did his best to ignore the pleading undead, he knew better than to believe in someone who probably never gave mercy to his opponents. Exchanging one last glance with his petite companion, it was decided that the last part was going to be shouted together.

 **"GENESIC BIG BANG!"**

Megumin launched her spell at the same moment that the giant vines began to encircle the undead General. The collision happened too fast for anyone to follow, and the light blinded everyone. The massive thorns worked as Izuku intended, keeping most of the detonation contained inside the zone where the vines were beginning to wrap into themselves to form a new tree. Part of the detonation still got through though, sending to the floor most of the adventurers; the light, however, was sent toward the sky, piercing the heavens as the petite Crimson Demon had declared.

' _That was not a Druid_ _…'_

Beldia managed to form one last coherent thought as his body was being destroyed at a sub-atomic level. He was pretty certain that no amount of magic would ever be able to put his body back together.

' _The old gods are returning_ _…'_

The massive vines finally started to knot together. The light finally waned until it was safe to look again. The resulting image was something no one in Axel thought possible as the outcome of this battle.

A giant tree was standing in the middle of the road. The trunk looked like solid gold from a distance. Large branches extended everywhere, covered in leaves that looked like platinum. The adventurers may not have been able to know what Beldia thought at the end, but most of them agreed that the young Druid couldn't be… normal.

* * *

 **Magnus:** Can I ask you to not bombard me too hard with update requests? I still need to update Cursed Blood twice before coming back to this.


	11. Fame and Misfortune

**Magnus:** Here comes a new chapter, with consequences for everyone! Please remember that the update ratio is 2:1 with Cursed Blood, I'll try to speed up things, but I'm not a miracle worker.

 **Disclaimer:** If you read Cursed Blood then you know about my current lack of resources. If you can find it in your heart, and your pockets aren't suffering, a little bit of help would be invaluable. You can find how to help by checking out P-A-T-R-E-O-N and adding "thewriterstwo" after the "/".

 **This chapter has been Beta Read by Vandenbz.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 **Fame and misfortune**

It had been three days since Beldia attempted to attack the city of Axel. Three days since the population of Axel witnessed one young and decidedly odd Druid do the impossible. Three days of non-stop gossiping about the green-haired adventurer and his entourage…

"Did you hear? Some say he got his powers from fucking with Dryads!"

"Really?! No wonder he likes being surrounded by girls!"

"Maybe he is the son of a Dryad?"

"Wait! So is he building a harem to create a new race?"

Outlandish rumors like those were not only spreading like wildfire, many adventurers didn't even lower their voices when the Druid himself walked around the Guild, much to the distress of poor Luna, who saw this as the perfect excuse for Izuku to abandon the city.

No matter how bad the rumors got, one fact remained inescapable. Izuku had defeated a General of the Devil King's Army.

He was a Hero of Belzerg, and the Hero of Axel.

Making him flee would mean a massive blow to the city's reputation. It would no longer be considered the most rookie-friendly city of the Kingdom… her life would become hell with all the resulting penalties

"Oh, Gods and Goddesses…" Luna whispered her prayer, suddenly remembering that maybe she should change pantheons, "Greater spirits of the land… let Izuku find grace within the walls of our city."

 _Meanwhile, at a certain dwarven smithy_ _…_

"What do you mean that you're just a Druid?!"

Aela couldn't believe what Izuku had confessed.

Up to this day, she'd had the firm idea that the verdanette had been hiding his true class, that he was actually an Arch Druid faking his status. In her mind, it explained his victory over Kyouya, his weird magic, and his use of absurdly high level spells.

Learning that he had made an iron tree before the golden one where he buried Beldia had really cemented the idea too.

"It's just as he said, he is just a Druid." Megumin replied for Izuku, still reading the notebook in her hands, "As unbelievable as it sounds."

Today, Izuku had finally came out of hiding, leaving the inn to finally interact with the town. The first day he holed up, was mainly because he had absorbed mana from the undead to complete the combination spell that destroyed Beldia; this decision resulted in him learning that having such impure energy flowing through his body was very unhealthy… and painful.

When he entered the inn, after finally working the details of the reward with Luna, he simply fell face-first on the bed in the room she had gracefully offered him and couldn't move until late the next day.

The second day he was still working the soreness out of his body, with the healthy help from three cuddling girls… which led to him learning that cuddles and kisses truly had healing properties!

And when he finally went out, he found that no one wanted to charge him any money… at least when food and lodging was concerned. If they were being grateful, Izuku appreciated it. He still held the idea that these businesses would just charge them later for their services when his reward finally arrived… which wasn't that bad all things considered.

That reminded him he had yet to repair his customized robe.

"I don't get it." Izuku pondered with a concerned voice, "How come combining skills is something outlandish?"

When Izuku tried to explain skill combinations, Aela had fallen into screams of denial, like his words were heresy. As if hearing that he had used only lesser skills, combined with enhancements, to recreate higher level spells was like hearing that her religion was a lie. Megumin, however, had been extremely interested in learning more, and quite eager to learn about such power.

Hence why she was reading the notebook in her hands.

"It's just not possible!" Aela shouted once more, "Not even Kyouya could do it!"

Izuku just gave an apologetic smile to the pinkette.

It was hard to tell what was worse. That the poor girl was still trying to defend the guy that had abandoned her, or that she still saw that guy as a high standard to judge people by.

"Oi! Izuku!" The owner of the smithy approached the group, carrying what appeared to be a metal mannequin, "Here is the anti-magic target dummy. I want to see your girlfriend try to break this!"

Both Izuku and Megumin sputtered at his insinuation. Neither seemed ready to be acknowledged as an official couple yet. And yet, they didn't make any effort to deny the claim.

"Thing… Strong?" Liza asked as she poked the mannequin.

"Don't toy with it!" The Dwarf reprimanded her, although no harsher than he would to any other client, "This thing was made to deflect magic. It may be as good as mid-grade plate, but a brute like you may tear through it like tissue paper."

Liza seemed confused by all the terms thrown her way, but Chika was quick to take her scaly hand and guide her away from the dummy.

Izuku had decided that today was a good day to do two important things. Teach Megumin more useful spells, and commission Aela's custom crossbow. Both things, thanks to an innocent question, could be found at this particular smithy.

"Master asked for the dummy, so Megumin can test a new spell." Chika tried to explain to her fellow ex-slave, "Chika thinks you need to not touch it!"

The dwarf shook his head as the Black Harpy's whispers still made him feel like something had scratched his brain.

"So." The dwarf called them to attention as he planted the dummy on the ground, "What kind of super-magic are you going to cast?"

Izuku couldn't help but wonder why this was so hard to understand. Why did people really believe that combining skills was impossible?

Was synergy such an alien concept in this world?

"It's no super-magic. Definitively not anywhere in the same league as my Big Bang!" Megumin answered with a dramatic flair, finally returning the notebook to Izuku with a smile, "The catch is… that this is aimed at bypassing magical resistances."

Izuku had requested this dummy for the sole purpose of testing a theory. Magical resistances reduced the effects of magic; that fact was a no-brainer. Throwing a fireball, even an Explosion, on something highly resistant, or downright immune to magic, would result in only a waste of mana. But what if instead of being hit directly by the spell, the target was hit by a creation of the spell?

"HA!" The dwarf scoffed, giving a playful pat to the back of the dummy, "Good luck then! This thing is made of enchanted, silvered mithril!"

The claim of the dwarf was high, but if true, then it really was nearly immune to magical attacks… Izuku doubted it would survive for longer than a second against the Big Bang, but testing that was a big no.

"You ready?" Izuku asked to his beloved petite companion, "Remember to visualize all the components, ok?"

"Don't worry!" Megumin replied, showing a smug smile and a playful glint in her eyes, "It was an odd request, and a rather complex chemical formula, but I memorized it!"

When Megumin had requested more combination spells a day ago, Izuku mentioned that it should be possible to combine two low level spells and create something stronger than the sum of the separate spells.

Megumin snorted when the spell she needed to learn turned out to be Grease.

Grease. A utility spell that created a gout of a greasy substance; it could be anything oily or greasy, really. From pork lard to lamp oil, the spell could conjure on a limited area nearby or at a distance. It could be conjured from the hand forward or on a focal point to create a puddle of the stuff to cover a portion of the floor. It was a fan favorite for parties that made liberal use of tactical retreats and on actual celebrations as a standard prank. Most favored among adventurers who had to make torches on the fly, or stingy explorers who didn't want to spend money on lamp oil.

But it was not an attack spell.

"Chika, Liza." Izuku called to the demi-human girls, "Stay away from the dummy. We don't know how this will turn out."

Chika and Liza obeyed, moving themselves further away. Aela followed suit, fully intending to use the massive albino Gator-Girl as a shield in the case of a mishap.

Izuku knew for a fact that greasy substances made for great fuel, meaning strong flames. The conjuration part of Grease made the stuff real, which meant that if it were ignited, real flames would hit the target. Fire was not a torrent of mana, thus, theoretically bypassing the magic resistances.

Of course, normal flames could still be resisted by Fire Resistances.

That supposition led to a random thought… What if the substance was something not only flammable, but also toxic, sticky, and corrosive?

"Here it goes!" Megumin warned as she readied the first part of her spell, creating fire. "Ha Ha Ha! It's time to show how we, the Crimson Demons, can even manipulate the fires of hell!"

Megumin had decided to go full chunni.

The flame surrounding her hand wasn't meant to be thrown. Instead, it was designed to be the ignition method for the grease that was about to be expelled from a point just beyond her hand, but still touching the conjured fire. Like a Flamethrower… or Flamer.

"Burn in the eternal fires of hell!" Megumin shouted as she pointed her open palm toward the dummy. There was no need to chant or name the spells, as they were very weak ones, "HELLFLAME!"

For an instant, the flame surrounding her hand took on a deep blue tinge. Then, from her hand what erupted could only be described as a torrent of liquid rage. Brilliant blue fire streaked toward the dummy, licking it like a tongue out of the depths of hell.

The spell barely lasted a single second, but the effects were obvious. The metal mannequin was set ablaze, blue flames sticking to it like napalm on a lump of flesh. It shouldn't have been possible; the dummy was magic-resistant, and there was nothing in the metal to feed the flame, let alone ignite it.

"That is hellfire!" Aela shouted in absolute distress, "Those are actual flames from hell!"

The pink-haired Ranger shouted as she pointed at the burning dummy like she was witnessing heresy. It was hard for her to believe otherwise too, as the sheer destructive power she witnessed had to be demonic in nature, not the spell of a little girl.

"How?" The hollowed voice of the Dwarf was followed by the sounds of twisting metal.

The dummy was twisting as it melted, producing sounds akin to screams of suffering and pain.

"IZUKU! IZUKU!" Megumin was jumping happily in place, unable to avert her eyes from the terrifying effects of her new spell, "It worked! It really did! "

Izuku chuckled, enchanted by the childish glee of the petite Arch Wizard.

"Of course it did." Izuku replied, giving a head pat to the girl, "Coal tar is not only flammable, it burns hot, slow, and sticks to most surfaces. By adding sulfur to the mix, we get a different color of flame, in addition to highly toxic and corrosive byproducts that will pile up the damage."

Izuku explained, just in time for a pungent, repulsive smell to reach their nostrils. Aela was quick to throw up, Chika and Izuku having covered their noses in reflex. Megumin and the Dwarf seemed quite unfazed though.

"Smell… funny." Liza supplied, showing how little she was affected by the noxious smell.

"That's burning brimstone…" The Dwarf knew very well that smell. It was the smell that warned the dwarves they were getting closer to the gates of hell, and should stop digging.

"That is a mixture of hydro-sulfuric and sulfuric acids." Izuku explained too, taking a few steps back from the almost molten dummy and the blue flames, "That combination eats through metal with ease, and it's rather toxic… we may want to retire and let that mess burn."

Aela didn't understand what the Druid had said, but she clearly understood that the petite Arch Wizard had created something horribly dangerous.

"Do you think Wiz is finished with my robe?" Izuku asked, remembering how the beautiful yet highly customized cloth had been reduced to tatters during his fight with Beldia, "I kinda miss it."

Aela finally understood that everyone in the Druid's party was dangerous.

The Druid himself could turn the most basic of the druidic spells into horrifyingly deadly skills. The Arch Wizard, already dangerous for being a Crimson Demon, was learning impossible spells. The Crusader was probably stronger than Mitsurugi, and she didn't even have a relic weapon at hand. Then there were the slaves. One with muscles harder than steel, and the other could weaponize her voice.

What was she supposed to offer to this party of rampaging monsters to settle her debt?!

"Aela." Izuku called, gaining the attention of the still recovering Ranger, "Come with us."

The offer came with a smile and an extended hand that couldn't belong to such a monstrous character.

The pinkette still took it though. She needed help to get up after all… not to mention that she really couldn't refuse at the moment.

"Where?" Aela asked, slightly concerned.

"To Wiz's shop." Megumin replied for Izuku, "We have to see if Izuku's robe is ready."

"We also have to gear you up." Izuku continued, earning a questioning stare from the Ranger, "Mister Talenof here has already accepted the commission for your crossbow. Now we have to get you some tactical gear to make full use of the weapon."

Aela couldn't understand these people.

She was drowning in debt, with anything she earned going to their pockets, and they insisted on giving her better gear. What kind of party leader was this guy?!

Not Kyouya… the great hero… lovable and fair… the same guy that abandoned her…

"Alright." Aela finally replied, now standing up, and barely tolerating the foul smell of the burning brimstone, "I don't know how I'm going to repay you for all of this though."

While Izuku looked confused at the words of the pinkette, Megumin just rolled her eyes.

The petite Crimson Demon knew now how Izuku operated. As an Outworlder, his morals and sense of fairness worked on a different level; what others saw as giving too much, he deemed it as a fair trade for companionship. She, being the epitome of stubbornness, knew it better than anyone else.

"IZUKU! MEGUMIN!" Darkness' shout interrupted the moment; the Crusader was running as fast as she could, earning worried stares from her companions.

"Did something happen?" Izuku asked, feeling like this haste wasn't provoked by his reward arriving sooner than intended.

"A mage from Lyndon arrived at the Guild Hall; she is asking for Megumin." Darkness reported, before taking on an even more serious tone, "She demanded Megumin's presence, immediately."

Izuku and Megumin exchanged worried glances. That didn't sound good.

As the party departed to meet this mage, the Dwarf continued staring at the molten slag, still burning that ethereal bluish tinge…

"Maybe I can use this hell-molten metal…" Talenof muttered to himself, "Yeah, it'll be used on that crazy crossbow!"

Never be said that dwarves didn't know how to recycle.

 _A few minutes later, at the Guild Hall_ _…_

As they traveled, Izuku was informed about what was happening.

Mages from the collage of Lyndon, located in the capital, were universally known to be the best mages on the continent. All useful magic was researched there, and if a new useful spell was created, it was expected to carry the name of a Lyndon mage.

Magic created by Crimson Demons was usually tolerated, as it was not useful for mages outside the clan. Many of the spells in the advanced magic branch, as well as the dreaded detonation branch, were created by Crimson Demons, and as such, were labeled as useless. Even the coveted 'Light of Saber' was known to be just a waste of mana when compared to more traditional spells like 'Scorching Rays' or 'Meteor Swarm'.

It made sense that Megumin would be called. Her 'Big Bang' had updated the books, immortalizing her name by creating something terrifyingly powerful.

But, was she being called for the sake of recognition? Or…

"You are late!" A boy no older than Izuku shouted, looking down on Izuku and his party, "You, the Crimson Demon. Lady Stella is waiting for you. Go inside the private room."

The boy barked his orders, acting like he was superior to everyone in the Guild.

Izuku took notice of the odd orange hair and the vibrant purple robes. A wizard, who only needed a pointy hat to gain a role in a Disney movie.

Doing his best to ignore such a mental Image, Izuku and his group made their way to the private room, just to be stopped by the irate young Wizard.

"Hey!" The boy shouted now, "You are meant to enter alone!"

"No." Megumin replied flatly.

"WHAT?!" The Wizard freaked out, outraged at the rebellious attitude of the little girl, "You must obey…"

"No. I don't need, or have, to obey your etiquette rules." Megumin explained, subtly reaching for Izuku's hand in clear need of support; the emerald Druid didn't hesitate to squeeze her hand, "Among your hierarchy, you need to send letters with proper time to answer the summons. I got no letter and the request was too sudden. Obviously you think such are not needed because I'm not part of your collage, which also means I don't need to adhere to your rules for the same reason."

The boy seemed ready to explode.

The moment the young wizard reached for his wand, Darkness and Liza sprung into action. The Crusader had Shield and Club at the ready, standing firmly between the boy and the petite Crimson Demon, while the albino Gator-Girl was already shielding both Izuku and Megumin with her body.

"Are all Lyndon Mages this disrespectful?" Darkness asked in obvious outrage, "Have your kin truly forgotten what it means to be part of the Nobility?!"

Darkness had taken a truly intimidating tone. Being noble-born gave her a level of insight on the rules of nobility second to none, and that included the rituals of summoning and requesting. Lyndon's mages were considered nobles in some capacity, and just like nobles, they were known to abuse their authority in some regards. Their abuse of power, though, didn't excuse them from following proper etiquette. This forced summoning was rude, to say the least.

The boy didn't know how to answer, but it was unnecessary anyway.

"Please, excuse the behavior of my little apprentice. Lady Dustiness Ford." A young woman, older than Darkness, but still in the bloom of her youth, interrupted the standoff, "My student tends to get overzealous when dealing with this type of business."

Darkness visible winced when her family name was thrown out into the open.

Izuku was not a naïve boy. He could recognize the wrongness of the situation. This woman must be the so-called Lady Stella, and her eyes did not recognize the worth of anyone in his party, sans Darkness. So… she wanted to avoid trouble with the local nobility.

"Zach." Stella called to her apprentice, who stiffened immediately, "Apologize to this noble lady immediately."

As if a switch had been punched, the boy fell to his knees and mumbled apologies.

Lyndon's mages were treated like nobles… but they didn't hold any titles. Antagonizing the friend of a noble was tantamount to antagonizing the noble themselves. They obviously believed that Darkness could have invoked her rights as a noble to… crush them into oblivion.

"I will let this go, as long as you remember to show proper manners." Darkness managed to pull off her aristocratic act, even if it was obvious to Izuku that it left a foul taste on her tongue, "Now, please explain what this is about."

The woman, Stella, failed to hide her twitching eyebrow.

"Of course." Stella replied with a fake smile, "The Arch Wizard and I need to discuss her spellcraft. As you may be aware, it is within our rights to have such a sensitive exchange in a private room."

Darkness clicked her tongue. Spellcrafting and its secrets was one of the things that nobility had no claim on.

"I understand." Darkness conceded, then, after exchanging a small glance with Izuku, threw her last punch, "However, you must understand that she won't go alone anywhere, not without our party leader. And before you try to say no, he helped her to create that spell you are trying to understand."

"I… see…" The mage was very surprised by that information, "Then please, follow me. But the slaves cannot enter. Especially that hideous… Harpy."

When things had begun to look bad, Chika had jumped and perched herself atop the railings of the second floor. She wasn't shying away from conflict though, she was getting ready to attack like a bird of prey. To fall upon her target, and sink her claws deeply into whatever she deemed an enemy.

"Chika obeys Master." The Black harpy informed, eyes glowing like blazing coals with zeal, "Crazy mages are not Chika's Master."

"Don't worry about her. Please, lead the way." Izuku said before things could deteriorate again, then she turned toward Megumin, before lowly whispering his next words, "Liza may break through the door if anything bad happens though."

Megumin chuckled as she followed the woman, who was totally unaware of how dangerous the party was.

 _About 30 minutes later_ _…_

Inside the private room, Izuku learned even more of how twisted this world was.

The Lyndon Collage of Magic had always been the one to claim ownership of all the most powerful and useful spells. There was no two ways about it. While most of the spell repertoire in the library was created by them, not every useful spell was created by them, originally.

When an upstart like Megumin created something radically different, powerful and useful, Lyndon's mages would reverse-engineer the spellcraft, tweak it to fit their style, and then reclaim the spell as their own. Spells created by Crimson Demons were, as usual, completely ignored due to their unique circumstances. The 'Light of Saber' spell was powerful, but it used so much mana and had such a large probability of misfiring that most sane spellcasters would never use it outside of special circumstances; Crimson Demons, on the other hand, had such large pools of mana that they could spam the damn thing like it was a trivial matter.

Crimson Demons did not create good spells; that was the universal truth. But when they did, there was always a mage from Lyndon ready to steal the credit, so that such a truth remained unbroken. Lady Stella had the intention of doing so, but there was a rather big problem.

"How does this work?" Stella asked with no small amount of annoyance, "I spent a rather large amount of skill points to learn your spell, it gave me the knowledge of the formula to cast it… but I can't understand anything about it!"

In order to reverse-engineer a spell, the caster must understand the knowledge behind it. Learning the spell gave the user the knowledge to cast it, sure, but not the intrinsic knowledge behind the principles of the spell. Knowing the spell 'Fireball' gave the caster the knowledge of how to mold and channel the mana to shape the energies into reactive fire, but not the knowledge of how mana changed the nature of the air to create said fire, nor how it primed the fire to explode upon contact; that had to be learnt at the collage, upon reading massive tomes on magic theory.

Megumin's Big Bang used knowledge not found in any book in any school of magic in the entire world. While that didn't stop other Arch Wizards from learning the spell, there was no way to properly understand the principles behind it. This meant that for all intents and purposes, there was no way to steal the credit of such a spell.

That meant that Megumin, a Crimson Demon, had beaten the Lyndon Collage of Mages.

"What the hell is an atom? How are they the blocks of reality?" Stella continued her interrogation, looking more stressed with each passing second, "How can something move at speeds beyond sound? How can a block of reality shatter?! Nothing here makes sense!"

Seeing the woman start to freak out was getting harder on both Izuku and Megumin. They were fighting against the urge to chuckle.

For Megumin, this was the greatest victory she could ever have, to have such a renowned mage begging for her knowledge. For Izuku… it was rather fun to see how his knowledge of physics and chemistry was causing someone quite the mental breakdown.

Seriously, if this happened with just that, then what would happen if he taught Megumin even more complex things? Would she be able to unleash a supernova? Create a miniature blackhole?

The mage suddenly slammed a quill and parchment onto the table.

"The Collage of Lyndon will have this knowledge." Stella said in a rather ominous tone, "Explain, in full detail, how this spell works."

Izuku and Megumin shared a glance for just a second, then they turned to look at the still annoyed mage before them.

"No." Megumin replied, loud and clear.

The woman reeled back as if struck.

"Megumin has no reason whatsoever to comply with your demands." Izuku elaborated, linking hands with his petite companion, "Your demand is also unreasonable. You cannot ask for something without offering anything back; that's rude."

"The pride and honor of the Lyndon Collage is at stake!" Stella all but shouted, to her, there was nothing illogical about her request, "An upstart like you! Allowed to walk with such honor! LUDICROUS!"

Megumin and Izuku finally chuckled.

"Geez! It's just one spell." Megumin said in a mocking tone followed by her trademark smug grin, "What are you going to do when I finish developing the rest of my spells?"

It was a bluff, of course, but Megumin wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste. Having the chance to lord her spell all over the most prestigious of collages was something no living Crimson Demon could possibly ignore.

"You have more spells?" Stella asked with a hollow voice, this situation was way too much for her. She was supposed to get the knowledge and then leave this upstart in the dust, as it was her right as a Lyndon mage. Instead, she had been absolutely disrespected!

"There is an anti-magic dummy still burning with the fires of hell somewhere in a dwarven smithy." Izuku decided to add his piece. Honestly, these Lyndon mages were hard to tolerate.

"What?!" The senior mage asked in surprise. She knew about such targets, but to hear that one was burning due to a spell?

Megumin chuckled, unable to resist the impulse after seeing the shocked face of the high-ranking mage.

"What else could you expect?" Megumin said with a fond smile, "My boyfriend just taught me how to summon burning brimstone from the depths of Hell!"

Izuku froze. He had expected their relationship to escalate, of course, but hearing such a statement from her lips, with such a proud voice…

Stella froze. If what she heard was true, then there was no way to prevent the Crimson Demons from gaining fame and recognition. It had been a century since the last breakthrough in magic knowledge had been achieved, and the King was contemplating reducing the privileges of the Lyndon Collage due to this lack of achievements. The mere idea that the King might shift his benevolence to the Crimson Demons was intolerable.

"So, it wasn't a fluke then?" Stella asked with a trembling voice, "This devastating spell wasn't an accident? Did you stumble upon some ancient tome of power?"

"Nope!" Megumin replied, holding her chin high with pride, "It was the result of research and attaining true knowledge of the natural world!"

Izuku felt so proud of his companion, who managed to understand that nature held so much power, just waiting for the right mind to make use of it. He was still going to make sure that the petite Arch Wizard learned more than just brutal detonations though.

Stella took a deep breath, steeling her resolve for the actions she would have to take now.

"I see. If that is the case… If you really are a prodigy…" The mature mage drawled on as she stood up, her blue robes dangling down as she was slightly hunched, "It'll be better if you die just as a fluke."

Izuku and Megumin blinked in surprise; they were expecting the woman to beg for the knowledge, offer money for it, even going as far as requesting that Megumin join the famed academy. Izuku barely had time to react as a blade materialized in the mage's right hand.

What happened next… was too fast paced for Izuku to think things through…

The woman brandishing the blade against his dear Megumin…

The petite Arch Wizard recoiling in horror at seeing such a blatant attempt to murder her…

Izuku jumped to hug Megumin in a thoughtless attempt to shield her from all harm. His body had moved, again, before he could think. But this time his heart had been consciously telling him what to do. His mind had no chance to cope with all the emotions he felt at that moment, when he felt the tip of the blade touching his back.

His heart and soul had agreed on the course of action though, making his body react with the sole intention of keeping his beloved Crimson Demon safe.

 **BAM!**

The door of the private room slammed open. A cute brunette was on the other side, worry written on her features. Her eyes were reminiscent of Megumin's, marking her as a Crimson Demon herself, just taller and more developed than the petite Arch Wizard.

"Megumin! You are in danger!" The girl shouted, "The Lyndon mages are not to be…"

Her words died in her throat, worry being replaced by horror at what she found. A room full of blood and large spikes going everywhere, impaling everything except a single spot.

"I'm… sorry…" Izuku muttered as he fiercely held Megumin in his arms.

Megumin couldn't reply.

There was blood everywhere, and it was running down the massive spikes coming out of Izuku's body. Blood that was coming from a body skewered by a lot of said spikes.

Now the blood was falling on her face, all thanks to gravity. To her, it looked like Izuku was the one bleeding… and the blood was still warm…

Eyes rolling back, Megumin fainted, unable to cope with the idea of seeing her first death.

"Lady Stella!" The apprentice cried in absolute distress.

"What the hell happened?!" Luna asked in horror.

"I'm sorry…" Izuku repeated, tearing up, while slowly being covered by the blood of his first human victim.

Up to this day, he had managed to cope with death. First by constantly repeating that culling wildlife was necessary, and that the animals hadn't really suffered; then by forcing his brain to accept that most goblinoids were far too feral to be considered humanoids that could be reasoned with, thus, their deaths were necessary to save human lives.

Today all that crumbled down, as he found himself guilty of taking someone's life. No excuse could come to mind, not even the fact that he had defended someone important from a murderer. The fact remained unchanged and unchallenged.

Izuku Midoriya had killed…

In the small bag where he stored his belongings, Izuku's adventurer and slave cards pinged. The first denoting that he had unlocked the next step in the class system, and the others showing that his girls were now able to gain classes of their own.

* * *

 **Magnus:** You all knew that Megumin's stunt was going to cause trouble, and it was just a matter of time before someone forced Izuku's hand. One a more cheerful note, please vote in the poll to choose the classes for Izuku's girls!

The following omake was requested by **LeafBladeFox** , thank you for your invaluable support!

* * *

 **Omake –** **Aqua** **'** **s adventure time.**

Aqua felt that her luck was truly changing for the better.

After finally escaping from Izuku's tyrannical rule, she had joined with another reincarnate. One who properly worshiped her, that pampered her like she deserved, and ensured that she was as comfortable as possible. It was much better than living with the damnable nerd and his policy of hard work!

The Swordsmaster was a bit of a creep though.

Everything he said had a flair of romantic notion that was very one-sided. He may be cute, but she had no intention on being entangled with a mortal.

The Thief girl was alright. She wanted the boy, and money of course. She also seemed to notice that the goddess felt no attraction toward the Swordsmaster, which made her less of a problem.

Leaving Axel hadn't been too troublesome. Aqua just made a quick stop by the graveyard to put up a powerful barrier, so her services wouldn't be required anymore, and then just went to their rooms to pick up all their belongings, as they weren't going to return anytime soon.

The pinkette, Aqua assured them, would be fine with Izuku as long as she kept working. The young Druid was too kind to lost girls to let her starve or sleep in the stables.

Their last step before hitting the road toward the home base of the Axis Cult was to tackle a quest, one that they sneakily decided not to officially take. Rather, they looked at the details, and departed without registering it; more treasure to keep for themselves that way.

"See?!" The Thief shouted as she pointed to a chest, one that just a second ago had turned into a giant maw and devoured a nearby stone, "I knew it was too easy to be safe!"

Aqua shuddered, thinking about what would have happened if she had actually reached the chest. She really wanted the money, as leaving Izuku's party hadn't left her with any resources to her name, thus she wanted to lay claim to a treasure chest for herself.

"Here, this seems to be the last room." Kyouya stated as he readied Gram, the treasure he valued second to only his beloved goddess.

Nodding to each other, they entered, ready to face the final boss of the dungeon, and claim the treasure for themselves.

The final room was not the grandiose chamber that liches and necromancers all fancied. It was just a spacious bedroom. On the bed, a well-preserved skeleton rested, still dressed in a properly cleaned dress. To the side of the bed, in a well-crafted wooden chair, sat what appeared to be a mummified corpse clad in wizard robes.

Keel the lich, owner of this dungeon, had waited for someone who could cast high-leveled holy magic. Over the centuries he had been content on allowing random adventurers to come and plunder his home, keeping the most dangerous of his servants locked away, so the chances of meeting a priest of sufficient caliber increased.

The blue-haired girl reeked of holy magic, and had shown no trouble when purifying the few of his servants that he sent their way.

"Greetings, adventurers." Keel greeted the party, showing himself as non-threatening as possible.

The lich didn't want to fight. He had no reason to do so. His beloved had passed away long ago, leaving this world without regrets due to his love being true. And now she waited at the gates of heaven, just needing him to be properly purified so they could take that last step together.

He only had to make a request, and then offer all the treasure he had in his secret chamber in recompense…

Then Kyouya had to act without thinking.

"Die monster!" Kyouya shouted as he unleashed the power of his relic blade, "YOU DON'T BELONG IN THIS WORLD!"

In a flash of light, the body of the lich, and the skeletal remains of his beloved, were turned to ashes. With a self-satisfied smile, the Swordsmaster decided to ignore that liches reformed after enough time had passed, favoring the idea of simply getting out fast, with his party's hands full of gold.

"I'll check the area for hidden doors and chests." The Thief informed her companions as she went about her business.

"I'll make a barrier here, so no other undead can take this room." Aqua declared, unknowingly paving the road for worse things to claim the dungeon.

Kyouya, for his part, felt like a true hero. Just having Aqua by his side, he felt as if his power had been boosted beyond the capabilities of any other mortal. He even felt like he could face All Might on equal grounds!

Their search for gold was cut short though.

The sudden death of the final Boss had triggered the remaining undead. Angry that their master was slain without getting his request even heard, and all of them seeking release by holy magic, they charged as a massive horde against the group.

In an open area, Kyouya wouldn't have hesitated to unleash his sacred weapon, but in such a confined space? Even he knew the dangers of being buried alive. Thus, the group ran to the exit, screaming in horror like hopeless rookies.


End file.
